The team at Pencarrow Stud is celebrating an outstanding result with their high-class draft offered during Book 1 of the 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka.

Of the 22 yearlings catalogued, 19 were sold for a total of $4.3m, which earned Pencarrow a fourth placing behind Waikato Stud, Cambridge Stud and Haunui Farm on the list of vendors by aggregate. Pencarrow’s average price was $226,316.

The top lot for Pencarrow’s class of 2024 was Lot 146 – a colt by Super Seth out of Irion (NZ) (Danroad). A half-brother to the Group winners Zourion (NZ) (Zoustar) and Pearl Of Alsace (NZ) (Tavistock), he was bought by Hong Kong’s Patella Bloodstock for $700,000.

“When I first got over to New Zealand last Saturday, as soon as I saw him come out of the box, I was very keen on him,” Mike Kneebone said.

“I thought he was going to be around that $400,000 to $500,000 mark, but my people were really strong on him and said, ‘If you like him, keep going’.

“We’re not in any rush with him. We will send him out to the farm to be broken in and then decide on a trainer as we go forward. We haven’t really thought about that too much at this stage.

“We wanted to get a colt, and we were looking for one who probably had a stallion’s pedigree. If you’re lucky enough to get one to win a Group One race or go on to be a very, very good racehorse, we felt he had that pedigree to go with the quality, and as you can see, the mare produces a really nice type.

“We thought his future might be in Australia, but since the announcements from Entain and all the positiveness in New Zealand, that’s all of a sudden a big possibility for us now, and that’s one of the reasons why we’re not discounting New Zealand for his initial racing.

“I think Super Seth is one of those sires on the rise. He’s had good sales all the way through, all the really good judges have bought them previously and I just think he’s got a really nice line of horses again this year.

“That’s always the risk, a sire that’s up and coming like that, but with the backing of Waikato Stud, he’s a good punt.”

Pencarrow had another standout result with Lot 210, a colt by super-sire Kingman out of the Camelot mare Marsden Cross, who is a half-sister to the dam of the English 1000 Guineas (1600m) winner Mother Earth (Zoffany). The bay colt was bought by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for $650,000.

“He was one of my main targets at this sale on type,” bloodstock agent Craig Rounsefell said. “Obviously Kingman’s a fast young stallion over in Europe and there’s no reason why he’s not going to do well in Hong Kong.

“This horse had a great temperament and he is a rock-solid horse from a good farm. On type, he’s just a smashing horse, I thought. It was around about the price we had him. We had a go at a few others earlier at lower prices that we missed out on, but he was our top pick of the day and one of our top picks of the sale.”

Lot 62, a filly by Justify out of Fair Isle (NZ) (Fastnet Rock), was snapped up by Chris Waller and Mulcaster Bloodstock for $550,000.