Haunui Farm stallion Elusive City (USA) (Elusive Quality) continued his recent trend of high demand last night when at the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame dinner, a nomination that was donated by the Elusive City Partnership, was auctioned.

Elusive City stood for a fee of $8,000 + GST in 2009 but last night’s auction saw this level surpassed relatively quickly, the package – including $3000 worth of agistment donated by Haunui Farm – eventually knocked down to the bid of Ivan Grieve for the princely sum of $21,000.  From Hawke’s Bay, Ivan has had a lifelong interest in racing with a number of horses in the stable of John Bary at the present time.  The underbidders for the service fee and agistment package were the Taranaki Jockey Club.

“It was great to see the package raise such a great amount of money for the Hall of Fame,” said Mark Chitty, General Manager of Haunui Farm.  “It is also nice to see Elusive City held in such high regard, it is certainly a pretty exciting time in his career with Brave Kid one of the favourites for the Hong Kong Derby,” he said.

Booming (NZ) (Don Eduardo) will get another opportunity at one of New Zealand’s premier cup races when he goes for the holy grail of New Zealand’s staying races– the Group One Auckland Cup (3200m) – at Ellerslie in just over a week’s time.

Elusive City (USA) (Elusive Quality) four-year-old Brave Kid (Aus) is well on track for the Group One Hong Kong Derby after notching his sixth win from as many starts at Sha Tin last night.

Lining up for the first time in Class One company and for the first time over 1800m, Brave Kid bounced quickly from the barrier to take up a handy position just in behind the leaders.  Runaway leader Deposer (Ire) (Kheleyf) set a hot temp for the entirety of the race and Brave Kid was giving him ten lengths coming into the final turn over 1800m.  Moved into the clear as the field swung for home, jockey Douglas Whyte rode hands and heels with Brave Kid hitting the lead at the 150m mark.  Victory didn’t come easily with Above All (Aus) (Dehere) providing a strong challenge on the inside but once in the lead, Brave Kid was never going to relent and went to the line with a half length to spare.

Trained by John Size, Brave Kid started the season rated 52.  His six impressive wins has seen his rating sky rocket to 101 and he will now head directly to the Hong Kong Derby on the 14th of March where he will aim to become the first horse to win seven races in-a-row in Hong Kong in the last 25 years.

“He is certainly an exciting horse and any horse that can win six on end has to be taken very seriously,” said Mark Chitty, General Manager of Haunui Farm.  “He has taken the step up in grade each time and I’m sure against his own age group in the Derby, he will be a force to be reckoned with,” he said.

Haunui Farm graduate Zabrasive (NZ) (Zabeel) took another step toward a possible tilt at the Group One AJC Derby (2400m) for trainer John O'Shea when a comfortable winner at Wyong this weekend.

Lining up for the first time this preparation, Zabrasive made light work of his oponents to notch up the second win of his career.  A graduate of Haunui Farm's 2008 Karaka Premier Draft, Zabrasive was bred by Don and Rochelle McLaren and was sold for $95,000.

With a first and two seconds from his first campaign during the Spring, the AJC Derby has always been on the agenda for Zabrasive.  “He was a class above them yesterday and it was a great effort first up into a Derby campaign,” said Bryce Heys, Racing Manager for the O’Shea stable.  “The Derby is very much the aim but we will just take it nice and easy and let him tell us what he’s ready for,” he said.  “We haven’t decided on when or where his next start will be but we will know that by the end of the week – there are plenty of options for him,” said Bryce.

Out of stakes winning mare Danasia (Aus) (Danehill), Zabrasive is a full brother to stakes performer Anzali (NZ) (Zabeel) with full brother Good Combination also the winner of two in Australia this season.

Three-year-old filly The Goddaughter (NZ) (Don Eduardo) booked her place on the truck to Trentham to contest the Group One New Zealand Oaks (2400m) in March with an impressive last to first finish over a mile at Ellerslie on Saturday.

Another member of the in-form John Sargent team, The Goddaughter was settled toward the rear of the field by jockey Mark Du Plessis and was a good twelve lengths off the leader turning for home.  Remaining cool, calm and collected, Du Plessis elected for the rails run and at the 300m mark was able to get off the rails to get a clear run to the line.  The filly didn't disappoint with a sustained sprint that saw her cross the line in front.

"She is a very nice filly and the Oaks only comes about once a year so she will get her shot," said John Sargent.  "She is still a bit immature but I know she will stay all day," he said.

With only four starts under her belt, The Goddaughter will head straight to the New Zealand Oaks for her next start and will be vying to become Don Eduardo's first Group One winner.

"Last year's Oaks winner Jungle Rocket was a Haunui graduate and nothing would be more satisfying than to see Don Eduardo get a Classic winner," said Mark Chitty of Haunui Farm.  "It isn't unusual to see a filly take out that Oaks that hasn't had too many starts under her belt but is really on the way up," he said.  "There's no doubt this filly was impressive when winning on Saturday and coming from a form stable, she will have every chance," said Mark.

Brave Kid (NZ) (Elusive City) confirmed his path to the Hong Kong Derby last night with another impressive win at Sha Tin last night. 

In front of an 85,000 Chinese New Year Crowd, Brave Kid made it five from five for trainer John Size and jockey Douglas Whyte, taking an alternate route in the lead-up to the big race, lining up in a Class Two event over a mile. 

Impressive in all five of his outings, Brave Kid’s current rating of 92 will surely surge to three figures after last night’s victory and ensure him a place in the Group One event on the 14^th of March.

Haunui graduate Goldschatz (NZ) (Pins) scored another feature race win in Singapore last night when taking out the SING2 Fortune Bowl over 200m – his third feature race win for the season.

Trained by Stephen Gray, Goldschatz has impressed this season with wins in the Proinn Contrstruct Stakes (1700m) and the Woodlands Classic Stakes (2000m) and a tilt at the Group Two Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the Group One Singapore International Cup, both over 2000m, is well on the cards.

Back in form as an older horse after suffering a stress fracture as a four-year-old on the Singapore Derby trail, Goldschatz is the winner of eight from 28 starts with a further six seconds and four thirds to his credit.  Bred by Marie Leicester, he was sold by Haunui at the 2004 Karaka Weanling Sale.

Bonbonniere (NZ) (Don Eduardo) and Princesa (NZ) (Don Eduardo) provided an impressive double for their sire at Ascot Park yesterday, not to mention being part of a six race haul for trainers Sally and Ben Gordon.

Both mare’s were impressive in their respective races, Bonbonniere settling handy to the lead and finishing off the 2000m strongly to win by a length whilst Princesa used the advantage of a rails run and once in the clear kicked away impressively to cross the line with one and a half lengths to spare.

On the back of a successful sales series where he sold yet another six figure yearling, Lot 845 fetching $140,000 to the bid of Michael Wallace and Grant Pritchard-Gordon on behalf of the Lee Freedman stable, Don Eduardo looks set to have some autumn spoils ahead with multiple stakes winner Swift Alliance (Aus) (Don Eduardo) set to get his autumn campaign underway in the Group One Oakleigh Plate (1100m) on Saturday week.  Other Don Eduardo’s to watch out for are River Of Salvation (Aus) and Royal Esteem (Aus) (Don Eduardo) who are both being set for a solid autumn whilst on this side of the Tasman, Booming (NZ) is headed toward the Auckland Cup.

Elusive City (USA) (Elusive Quality) was a stallion in demand at Karaka 2010 with 8 of his 34 lots offered throughout the sales series selling for over six figures with a further five fetching over $50,000.

The scene was set in the Premier Sale with his three yearlings all reaching six figures and topped by two colts fetching $260,000 and $250,000.  Elusive City’s Premier Sale average of just over $203,000 saw a fantastic return of 25 times his 2007 service fee.

The Select Sale saw Elusive City topping the sale with a $250,000 colt offered by Haunui Farm.  The colt was knocked down to the bid of Danny O’Brien and with a further four colts in the top ten lots, Elusive City completed the sale with an average of $77,250.  Finishing fifth on the sale average list behind proven New Zealand stallions O’Reilly (NZ) (Last Tycoon) and Pentire (GB) (Be My Guest) further emphasised a continuation of buyers’ confidence in his progeny.

Once again, the Festival Sale provided stellar results for Elusive City with the young stallion setting a sale record of $110,000 for a striking colt from the famed Belle family sold by Haunui Farm.  This followed success at the same sale in 2009 where Haunui sold the top two lots of the sale who fetched $77,500 and $75,000, with the sale topping colt out of Contemplate (NZ) (Dream Well) recently winning his first trial for the stable of Andrew Scott.  The leading sire in 2010 by aggregate, Elusive City had 16 lots sell in the Festival Sale for an average of $36,000 with four lots in the top ten of the sale – three in the top five.

“There is no argument that Elusive City’s sales results were huge,” said Mark Chitty of Haunui Farm.  “The demand for his colts was particularly strong given his recent success in Hong Kong and Singapore but what was particularly pleasing was seeing the likes of Bart Cummings and Danny O’Brien – two of Australia’s leading trainers – prepared to pay six figures for his progeny,” he said.  “If he can further his success in Australia and continue with a 72% winners to runners ratio in his subsequent crops, it will only mean greater results for breeders down the track,” said Mark.

“What is most pleasing about Elusive City’s sales results is the return for breeders that have supported the horse,” said Mark.  “Off an $8,000 service fee, to average $36,000 at Festival, just over $77,000 at Select and over $200,000 at Premier, there are a number of breeders out there who have had very good sales results thanks to Elusive City,” he said.

Karaka 2010 was a resounding success for Haunui Farm and our clients with a bumper sale across all three books.  “We headed into Karaka last Monday with very realistic expectations given the current economic climate,” said Mark Chitty, General Manager of Haunui Farm.  “We had actually budgeted to be at least 10% down on last year but after the first day of the sale, those predictions went completely out the window!”

The Premier Sale got off to a flying start for Haunui with the first colt through the ring, Lot 15, fetching $500,000 to the bid of Graeme Rogerson on behalf of the Lloyd Williams stable.  By Encosta De Lago (Aus) (Fairy King) out of Liberty Walk (NZ) (Zabeel), the colt was bred and owned by Marie Leicester and was one of three purchases for the Williams team come completion of the sale.  The others were two Zabeel (NZ) (Sir Tristram) colts – Lot 371 out of Destined (GB) (Danehill) and Lot 447 out of Derby and Oaks winner Honor Lap (NZ) (Honor Grades).  Both colts fetched $380,000 and $150,000 respectively.

Lots 47, 48 and 50 were three fillies that attracted their share of attention on the sale ground and they didn’t disappoint in the ring fetching $240,000, $120,000 and $320,000 respectively.  Lot 47 was a filly by O’Reilly (NZ) (Last Tycoon) out of stakes winner Midnight Babe (NZ) (Kaapstad).  She was purchased by AJC Chairman Ron Finemore and will be trained by John O’Shea.  She was followed through the ring by close relation, Lot 48, a filly out of Midnight Madam (NZ) (Kaapstad).  By Pins (Aus) (Snippets), she is a half sister to dual Group One-winner Perlin (NZ) (Carnegie) and she was purchased by John Hawkes for a group of enthusiastic clients.  Lot 50 was a filly by Starcraft (NZ) (Soviet Star) from the family of Denise’s Joy (Aus) (Seventh Hussar) and was the first of a number of yearlings sold by Haunui on behalf of Soliloquy Lodge.  She was eventually knocked down to the bid of Melbourne Cup maestro Bart Cummings.

“We certainly got off to a flying start with results far exceeding our expectations leading into the sale,” said Mark.  “To be honest I was a little nervous having six lots to sell in the first two hours but history shows I needn’t have worried,” he said.

The momentum continued for Haunui on day two with three further six-figure yearlings and at sale end Haunui was in the top ten of the sale for both aggregate and average at $2,485,000 and $207,083 for twelve horses sold.

Haunui headed into the Select Sale with the best draft of Select colts the farm had ever presented and results spoke for themselves selling 22 lots for an aggregate of just over $1.8 million with a sale average of $83,614.

“We had a huge Select Sale with seven yearlings fetching over six figures,” said Mark.  “We sold four of the top eight lots of the sale including the top priced colt who fetched $250,000 to the bid of Danny O’Brien,” said Mark.  “Even more satisfying was the fact that he was by Elusive City who had an outstanding sales series,” he said.

The Festival Sale continued in much the same fashion for Haunui with the farm topping the sale for the second year in-a-row and providing three of the top nine lots on top of setting a new sale record of $110,000 for yet another Elusive City colt.

“Overall we couldn’t be happier with the results we had,” said Mark.  “As always, nice horses sold well however there was very solid competition which made for some very nice prices,” he said.  “I was most pleased that all of our clients got a bite of the cherry as well and the fact that Elusive City was in such high demand was just the icing on the cake,” he said.  “He is certainly an exciting young stallion to have on our roster and there are a good number of breeders who have supported him in the past that will have made a very nice return given his service fee of $8,000,” said Mark.

“We’ve already started assessing our foals and after what I’ve seen in the last two days, I’m looking forward to our next yearling crop already!”

Haunui Farm stallion Elusive City (USA) (Elusive Quality) will be among the leading sires by average at the 2010 Karaka Premier Yearling Sale with his three progeny selling on the first day all reaching six figures.

Little Avondale Stud were the first to hit the jackpot with Lot 155, a colt out of Shahiid (NZ) (Pentire), a full sister to New Zealand Cup-winner Pentathon (NZ), fetching $250,000 to the bid of DGR Thoroughbreds’ Duncan Rammage, the colt almost certain to race for the Bart Cummings stable.

Danny O’Brien went to $260,000 for another colt by Elusive City, this time out of the Group Two-winner Triassic (NZ) (Tights), dam of 2009 Cox Plate-winner So You Think (NZ) (High Chaparral).

One of the later lots of the day, Lot 241, an Elusive City colt out of Woodini (Aus) (Woodman), also reached the six figure mark of $100,000 and will head to Singapore.

“It is certainly great to see the likes of Danny O’Brien and Duncan Rammage prepared to pay quarter of a million dollars for a son of Elusive City,” said Mark Chitty of Haunui Farm.  “His results in Asia have been outstanding the last couple of months with horses like Brave Kid headed for the Hong Kong Derby and All Elusive heading for the Singapore Derby,” he said.  “It’s nice to see his progeny heading to the likes of Danny O’Brien and Bart Cummings as there’s no doubt those horses will get every opportunity to succeed,” said Mark.  “It is also great to see breeders getting these kinds of returns off an $8,000 service fee and with some nice Select and Festival horses to come, I’m sure there will be a few more breeders with smiles on their faces,” he said.

Karaka 2010 continues today with the second session of the Premier Sale to get underway at 11am with the Select Sale set to kick off tomorrow at the same time.  “The first day of selling was very strong and it would be nice to see the market continue to hold up well today,” said Mark. 

Brave Kid (Aus) (Elusive City) continued his winning way in Hong Kong making it four from four for the stable of John Size on Sunday.

Lining up in Hong Kong for the first time at the end of November, Brave Kid won impressively and each time he has faced the starter since, has taken the step up in class with ease. 

Lot 986 b f Elusive City - Fashionable Lass
Close relative Joey Massino now the winner of four in New Zealand including the Group Two Avondale Guineas and the Group Three Wellington Stakes.  Vincent Mangano is also now the winner of six.

Lot 791 b f Perfectly Ready - Vingtaine
Now a 1/2 sister to Group One winner Eileen Dubh (NZ) (Storm Creek) who won the Levin Classic since the catalogue went to print.

Lot 608 b c Keeper - Passive Rose
Close relation Kingston Temple (NZ) (Golan) is now the winner of three in Hong Kong, his most recent victory coming on Wednesday, 20th January.  Kingston Temple is out of Jinsky Rose (NZ) (Tights).

Lot 318 b f O'Reilly - Cappie
1/2 sister to G1 winner Captivate (NZ) (Stravinsky) and close relation to Culminate (NZ) (Elnadim), winner of the G2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes since the catalogue went to print.  1/2 sister Panama (NZ) (Traditionally), 3rd in the G2 Rich Hill Mile.  Also a close relative Eileen Dubh (NZ) (Storm Creek), winner of the G1 Levin Classic.

Lot 845 br c Don Eduardo - Applause
Close relative Macedonian (NZ) (Zabeel) now the winner of three in Australia.

Lot 1063 gr c Postponed - Impulse
Morepork (NZ) (Thorn Park) now a winner in NZ and Royal Pericles (NZ) (Stravinsky) is now the winner of five in Hong Kong.

Photos of Haunui Farm's Karaka 2010 Yearling Draft can now be viewed by visiting the SALES section of the website.

To view photos, please click on the camera image next to the yearling's Lot number.  Pedigrees can be viewed by clicking on the LOT number.

For more information, please feel free to contact Mark Chitty - 021 663 995 - or Shannon Taylor - 0212 855 513.

Booming (NZ) (Don Eduardo) took another step toward qualifying for the Wellington Cup field at Awapuni on Saturday when winning over 2300m in a Rating 90 event.

Drawn toward the outside, Booming was caught wide in the early stages of the race and was pushed forward to work his way across the field by jockey Opie Bosson. After leaving the homestraight for the first time, Booming was sitting just outside the leader before getting some cover partway down the back straight. Remaining handy for the entirety of the race, Booming set out to chase the race leader Montetra (NZ) (Montjeu) who had put a three length break on the field coming into the turn. The race never looked in doubt with Booming hitting picking up the leader and winning by a length at the line. 

Elusive City (USA) (Elusive Quality) four-year-old Brave Kid (NZ) continued his unbeaten run in Hong Kong this weekend with an impressive five length win over 1400m at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Trained by John Size, Brave Kid made it three from three and in doing so took another step toward qualifying for the Hong Kong Derby which will be run on the 14^th of March.  One of three winners for Elusive City in Hong Kong this season, the others being Blaze King (NZ) and Successful Era (NZ), Brave Kid's efforts have undoubtedly elevated interest levels in his progeny and the timing couldn’t be better with the yearling sales just around the corner.

“Brave Kid looks to be a very promising horse and being in the John Size stable he is going to have every chance to get to the elite level,” said Mark Chitty, General Manager of Haunui Farm.  “We all know how competitive the Hong Kong racing scene is so to string together three-in-a-row shows this horse is definitely a class act,” he said.

Elusive City has 37 yearlings catalogued for Karaka 2010 with 13 to be offered under the Haunui banner.  For more information, please feel free to contact Mark Chitty – 021 663 995 – or Shannon Taylor – 0212 855 513

Don Eduardo (NZ) (Zabeel) three-year-old Donna Mia (NZ) has a lot to live up to being a half sister to Group One New Zealand Oaks-winner Jungle Rocket (NZ) (Jungle Pocket) however on debut at Hawke’s Bay over the New Year weekend, she signalled that there could be more good times ahead for her connections.

Lining up over 1200m, Donna Mia was settled toward the rear of the field by apprentice jockey Rosie Myers and coming into the home turn was tailing the field. Once balanced, Donna Mia showed a powerful turn of foot to reel in her rivals and nab victory on the line.

“It was certainly an impressive victory,” said Mark Chitty of Haunui Farm.  “Coming into the straight I certainly didn’t expect her to win but she showed a huge turn of foot and I know her win had a few people talking,” he said.  “Jungle Rocket didn’t have her first start until early February and she went on to win the Oaks,” said Mark.  “There’s a long way between a maiden victory and lining up in a Group One race but it would be nice to think this filly might be headed along the same lines!”

Donna Mia was bred by David and Cynthia Pleasance and, Craig and Louise Betts.  Through New Zealand Bloodstock’s John Cameron, they purchased Jungle Rocket from Haunui’s 2006 Weanling draft and since then, have purchased Gu Li (NZ) (Last Tycoon), the dam of Jungle Rocket and Donna Mia.

Dasoudi (NZ) (Elusive City) proved too strong for her opposition at Ellerslie on Boxing Day with a commanding victory over 1200m taking her race tally to three wins and a second from only four starts.

Jumping quickly from the gates, jockey Danielle Johnson quickly had Dasoudi travelling well in the trail and with 300m to go made use of the inside run and finished the race off strongly to win by three-quarters of a length.  

Dasoudi will now head to the paddock for three weeks and will be aimed toward a number of black type races in the Autumn.

Another winner for Elusive City on Boxing Day was three-year-old Cizen Bank (NZ) who was victorious at his third start over 1400m in Malaysia.  His win gave Elusive City his fifth winner in five different Southern Hemisphere countries in the past month with winners in Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore and now Malaysia.

Hong Kong is a unique racing environment, one of a kind on the world stage and achieving success there certainly helps to put a stallion on the map.  Elusive City (USA) (Elusive Quality) is one such stallion that is beginning to make his mark in Hong Kong. 

Blaze King (NZ) (Elusive City), a two-year-old winner in New Zealand before taking up residence in Hong Kong, won his first three starts there at three and on debut this season from the stable of David Hall, was an impressive winner of a Class One event over 1000m. 

Blaze King’s win started the ball rolling for Elusive City and was closely followed by the debut victory of Brave Kid (NZ) (Elusive City).  Trained by John Size and ridden by Douglas Whyte, Brave Kid has since made it two from two, taking the step up in class with relative ease.  Impressive in his two starts to date, both trainer and jockey are touting Brave Kid as a horse to watch in the coming months and as masters of their trade in Hong Kong, people have certainly taken note.

The third of Elusive City’s Hong Kong winners this season came overnight with the victory of Successful Era (NZ) (Elusive City) at Happy Valley.  Settled mid-field on the rails by jockey Douglas Whyte, Successful Era found some space in the straight hitting the lead with a furlong to go and holding off some strong finishers down the outside of the track.

With only seven horses in Hong Kong and six starters this season, Elusive City is certainly building a reputation in Hong Kong, not to mention Singapore where from three starters this season All Elusive (NZ) and Williams (NZ) have been winners from the stables of Bruce Marsh and Laurie Laxon respectively.

“Conquering racing environments like Hong Kong and Singapore isn’t easy,” said Mark Chitty of Haunui Farm.  “It is so different from New Zealand and Australia so temperament plays a big factor and the Elusive City’s have obviously adapted well,” he said.  “With a Class One winner in Hong Kong already in the form of Blaze King and Brave Kid who if the reports out of the stable are anything to go by, could be in for a big season, Elusive City is really starting to make a name for himself” he said.  “The timing couldn’t be better with the yearling sales just around the corner and knowing the types Elusive City leaves, I think buyers should definitely be marking them down in their catalogues for inspection,” said Mark.

Elusive City has 37 yearlings catalogued for Karaka 2010 of which Haunui will offer 13 – ten colts and three fillies.  For more information in regard to Haunui’s 2010 yearling draft or to book an on-farm parade prior to the sales, please feel free to contact Mark Chitty – 021 663 995 – or Shannon Taylor – 0212 855 513.

Stakes performer Booming (NZ) (Don Eduardo) showed he is back to his best form at Awapuni on Saturday with a resounding victory in just his third start this preparation.

Settled toward the rear of the field over 2000m, Booming made an impressive run down the outside of the track to take out the last race of the day and left racegoers and viewers with a lasting impression when striding past his rivals to win comfortably.

Third in the Listed St Leger (2500m) last season, Booming looks set to be a strong contender in some of the major staying events over the summer.  “Don Eduardo started 2009 with a bang with Dashing Donna finishing second in the Railway, Vickezzchardonnay taking out the Taranaki Cup and All In Black taking out the Hawke’s Bay Cup so it would be nice to think he could finish the year off on a similar note,” said Mark Chitty.

2009 has seen five stakes winners for Don Eduardo, the three mentioned above and the multiple stakes winners Swift Alliance (Aus) (Don Eduardo) and Moti (NZ) (Don Eduardo) in Australia.  “Like Elusive City, it is nice to see Don Eduardo’s progeny hitting their straps at the right time of the year and I’m sure come yearling sale time there will be more black type performers added to his tally,” said Mark.