Racing: Blue chip fetches $850,000

David Hayes thought he would buy the Zabeel-Silk Slipper filly for less than $850,000.

"No way," said her breeder Sir Patrick Hogan.

The standout filly was probably always going to be the first day headliner of the premier session of New Zealand Bloodstock's Karaka sale yesterday.

Hogan would have been happy to take her home.

He does not have a filly out of Silk Slipper, a Woodman daughter of the American Nijinsky mare Dancing Show, dam of sires Hurricane Sky and Umatilla.

"The weanling from Silk Slipper is a Zabeel colt and she is in foal again to Zabeel," said Hogan.

"I did a sex test on it last week and when I found out it was a colt, I thought: 'I shouldn't send this filly to the sale'.

"But I've built my reputation on bringing my best horses to the sale and it's best to meet the market and move on."

Hayes, flying in his first season back in Australia after a decade in Hong Kong, was delighted that decision was made, although he was starting to worry when the bidding quickly leapt to $900,000 from a $300,000 starting point.

The $900,000 bid was disputed and Hayes secured the outstanding filly, declaring: "I didn't have a lot left up my sleeve."

Hayes liked the stretch of the filly and the pedigree.

"The pedigree is blue chip - if something goes wrong with them you can farm yourself out of trouble.

"If I'm going to get strong, I'll get strong on a filly with a good page [pedigree] rather than a colt. The upside of a colt is better, but so is the downside.

"A filly is like buying a house in a good suburb. You'll pay good money, but eventually you're going to get it back."

Hayes said he hoped the filly would be a late 2-year-old with possibly the guineas in mind at three. He says he has some exciting horses in work this season and is looking for a couple of them to step up to classic and weight-for-age level: "Something every top trainer needs."

He likens his current team to the stable he left behind in Australia 10 years ago.

"That season St Covet was champion 2-year-old, Razor Edge was outstanding, Blevic won the Derby and Mr Vitality ended up being the champion of Hong Kong."

Included in his team is the Danehill - Encens filly that topped last year's Karaka sale at $1.3 million. "She runs really well and will debut in Adelaide in two weeks."

Asked for his next big winner, Hayes nominated classy Rewaaya in Saturday's A$1 million ($1.1 million) Lightning Stakes in Melbourne.

He said he would look to buy a couple of colts later in the three-day premier session.

"But I can promise you I've fired my best shot."

Second highest price was the $500,000 Japanese breeder Yoshida Katsumi paid for the Rock Of Gibraltar-What Can I Say filly. Earlier he went to $300,000 to secure the Montjeu filly.

Katsumi and his two brothers operate the world dominant Shadai Farm, which operates 36 stallions and 380 mares in Japan.

Yoshida Katsumi also independently owns the Australian-based Northern Farm, where the two fillies purchased yesterday are headed. Katsumi was also a vendor, producing six lots by Jungle Pocket at Karaka.

Melbourne trainer Lee Freedman was one of the underbidders on the Rock Of Gibraltar filly. Only moments after Katsumi's Australian racing manager David O'Callaghan said no trainer had been selected for the fillies, Freedman sidled alongside and put his hand up.

Melbourne agent Rob Roulston paid $450,000 for the Zabeel colt out of the 2001 filly of the year Singalong.

"It's for an unnamed Melbourne buyer," said Roulston.

"He was the Zabeel I was looking for - a real running horse."

* Yesterday's statistics reflected a good day's selling, with a strong median of $85,000, the clearance rate 78 per cent and the average price of $117,704.

Marketing and public relations manager Petrea Vela said: "We're very pleased to see a strong day of selling with fierce competition at the top of the market. The median in particular is very encouraging; at $85,000 it is the same as this point in the sale last year and up 21 per cent on the figure at the end of day one in 2004.

"We were never going to match last year's total figures because of the 20 Danehills we sold then."