Pencarrow Stud’s exquisite bloodlines – meticulously built up by Sir Peter Vela and his late brother Philip across more than three decades – are respected and renowned throughout Australasia and further afield. Buyers are given relatively few chances to tap into these famous families, but every year, Karaka provides that prized opportunity.

Pencarrow Stud will present another outstanding draft of 23 yearlings at Karaka 2023, with 14 colts and nine fillies catalogued for Book 1. These yearlings represent the outstanding Pencarrow bloodlines that have left a lasting legacy on the Australasian racing and breeding scene.

RICHEBOURG

Among the most influential of those exceptional families is the one that traces back to Richebourg (NZ) (Vice Regal), who won the Group Three Tranquil Star Stakes (1600m) but is best known as a dam, granddam and great-granddam of dozens of outstanding performers over the last few decades.

Richebourg’s six individual winning progeny include the black-type winners and sensational broodmares Romanee Conti (NZ) (Sir Tristram) and Grand Echezeaux (NZ) (Zabeel).

Romanee Conti won seven races, four at Group level including the Queen of the Turf Stakes (1500m) in Sydney and the Hong Kong International Cup (1800m).

She is the dam of seven winners including the legendary Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm), who won four Group Ones including the fabled Caulfield Cup (2400m)-Melbourne Cup (3200m) double in 2001. Only 11 horses have ever achieved that iconic feat, and none have done it since the champion Pencarrow mare.

Ethereal herself is the dam of four stakes performers, while the unraced Sopra Tutto (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy) has produced Group One performers Eleonora (NZ) (Makfi) and Supera (NZ) (Savabeel). Eleonora has taken that dynasty into a new generation this season, with her two-year-old daughter Ethereal Star (Snitzel) winning the Listed 2YO Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Pukekohe.

Romanee Conti’s three-quarter-sister Grand Echezeaux won the Group One Australasian Oaks (2000m) and is the dam of four stakes performers, including the $1.1 million yearling Darci Brahma (NZ) (Danehill), who won five Group One races and became a leading sire. Burgundy (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice) was a $1.3 million yearling, won five stakes races, placed at Group One level and also had success at stud.

Our Echezeaux (NZ) (Zabeel) is a full-sister to Grand Echezeaux. She won twice and is the dam of stakes-winning Pencarrow mares Dolmabache (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice), Pure Elegance (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice) and Cote d’Or (NZ) (Makfi).

La Tache (NZ) (Danzatore) is another of Richebourg’s daughters, and she is the granddam of Group Two winner Bellini Rose (NZ) (Faltaat), who in turn produced the Group One winner Howard Be Thy Name (Redoute’s Choice).

Buyers will have access to this top-class family through five members of Pencarrow’s Karaka 2023 draft.

• Lot 69, a colt by Rubick out of Biddable (NZ) (Exceed And Excel). Herself a three-race winner, Biddable is out of Uberalles (NZ) (Giant’s Daughter) – a daughter of Ethereal who placed in the Group One New Zealand Derby (2400m).
• Lot 112, a colt by Caulfield Guineas-winning freshman sire Super Seth. The dam of this colt is the Listed winner Cote d’Or, who is out of Our Echezeaux.
• Lot 145, a Written Tycoon colt out of Group Two winner Dolmabache.
• Lot 567, a blue-blooded filly by U S Navy Flag out of Group One performer Supera.
• Lot 573, a colt by Alabama Express out of Surtout (NZ) (Cape Blanco), who is an unraced half-sister to Supera and Eleonora.

DESERT LILY

Another quality family among the Pencarrow broodmare band is that of Desert Lily (Green Desert), who was represented by eight winners from nine foals to race. She is either the dam or granddam of Sir Peter Vela’s stakes-winning mares Lafleur (NZ) (Zabeel), Amaryllis (NZ) (Red Ransom), Papilio (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice) and Wildflower (NZ) (Keeper).

Further back in the pedigree page, Desert Lily’s Group One-winning dam Habibti (Habitat) is half-sister to one of New Zealand’s greatest ever broodmares, Eight Carat (Pieces Of Eight).

This prolific line features in three yearlings among Pencarrow’s Karaka 2023 draft.

• Lot 190, a colt by fellow Pencarrow graduate Darci Brahma. This colt is the first foal out of Flourishing (NZ) (Makfi), who won three races and is a half-sister to Amaryllis and Papilio. All three are daughters of Desert Lily’s high-class daughter Lafleur.
• Lot 357, a filly by Blue Point out of Mojave Aster (NZ) (Zabeel) – a full-sister to Lafleur.
• Lot 638, a colt by Super Seth out of Group One performer Wildflower.

DANCE MY DANCE

Another quality family among the Pencarrow broodmare band is that of Dance My Dance, an unraced daughter of the great Sadler’s Wells. She is the dam of four winners, including two high-class performers for Pencarrow.

Rasa Lila (NZ) (Darci Brahma) won seven races including the Group Two Travis Stakes (2000m), and she also placed in the Group One Windsor Park Plate (1600m) and Easter Stakes (1600m).

Posavina (NZ) (Tiger Hill) won the Group Three Lowland Stakes (2100m) and has already passed on those black-type abilities to her stakes-placed daughter Podravina (NZ) (Bel Esprit).

Another of Dance My Dance’s progeny is the multiple Listed placegetter Luen On Dance Kid (NZ) (Snitzel).

This fine family is represented by two members of the Pencarrow draft:

• Lot 308, a filly by Vadamos out of Light My Way (NZ) (Snitzel) – an unraced half-sister to Rasa Lila and Posavina.
• Lot 433, a colt by Too Darn Hot out of Posavina.

EUROPEAN INFLUENCES

Other members of Pencarrow’s Karaka 2023 draft are introducing some quality northern hemisphere blood.

• Lot 75 is a colt by Pierro out of Breeze (Sea The Stars), who is a winning daughter of Group Two-winning mare Kitty Matcham (Rock Of Gibraltar). Breeze’s granddam is the top-class Imagine (Sadler’s Wells), who was Britain’s Champion 3YO Filly in 2001 and won the Group One Oaks (2400m) and Irish 1000 Guineas (1600m).
• Lot 193 is a U S Navy Flag filly out of Irish-bred mare Fond Du Coeur (Fastnet Rock), who is a blood sister to Group Two winner One Foot In Heaven (Fastnet Rock). A dozen other stakes winners feature on the pedigree page, including Group One British Champion Stakes (2000m) and Hong Kong Cup (2000m) heroine Pride (Peintre Celebre).
• Lot 495 is a Savabeel colt out of the Group Three-winning and Group One-placed Galileo mare Scintillula. The Irish-bred Scintillula is already the dam of three winners from three foals to race, including Group Two-placed Butter Chicken (NZ) (Savabeel), and she has had two filly yearlings sell for $800,000 apiece at Karaka in 2019 and 2021. Butter Chicken was the first of those, while the 2021 filly was Stella Splendida (NZ), who has recorded a win and a placing from three early three-year-old starts for Te Akau Racing.

New Zealand Bloodstock’s Karaka 2023 Book 1 Sale runs from 29 to 31 January.

Sir Peter Vela, Leon Casey and the Pencarrow Stud team invite all prospective buyers to inspect its Karaka 2023 National Yearling Sales Series draft at on-farm parades or at NZB’s Karaka Sales Centre.

For sale or general enquiries, contact office@pencarrowstud.co.nz or call +64 7 856 8160.