Racing: Boys Get Paid group buy their first yearling

Karaka Yearling Sales Luke Kenneys founder of Boys Get Paid. Photo / Trish Dunell.

Boys Get Paid have been a growing entity on Karaka Million night, New Zealand's richest race meeting, but next year could be a whole new level for the Luke Kemeys-led group.

They have teamed up with Te Akau to buy a yearling at New Zealand Bloodstock's National Yearling Sale, their first venture into the yearling market, and they are hoping they will be cheering it on in the Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) next year.

Kemeys entrusted the yearling selection process to Te Akau principal David Ellis, who identified lot 199, the Iffraaj filly out of Bernardini mare Vernal, as the best fit for Boys Get Paid. He went to $125,000 to secure the mare out of Koru Thoroughbreds' draft.

"We have raced a couple of horses with Te Akau through a couple of different ventures, but this is the first time we have bought a yearling," Kemeys said. "We have left it up to DC [Ellis] and Jamie [Richards, trainer] to do the work for us and it has been pretty hands-off. They know what they are doing.

"Our supporters' members will be racing the Iffraaj filly, which is pretty exciting. She is by the same sire as Millefiori, who Ben [Masters, Boys Get Paid co-founder] has a share in with Te Akau. It is all pretty exciting."

While it is the group's first purchase, the yearling sales are not new for Boys Get Paid, who sold a yearling through Little Avondale Stud's draft at Karaka last year.

"Selling was pretty exciting and this will be pretty cool when we get everyone into it and hopefully it gets to the track nice and early," Kemeys said. "The buying is a little bit of that unknown. It is wait and see and you are trying to find a needle in a haystack with these horses."

Having purchased a filly, Kemeys said entering the breeding fray could be on the cards in the future.

"All going well we could, you never know," he said.

Ellis was pleased with the filly he selected and he is delighted to have Boys Get Paid join the Te Akau team.

"Jamie is thrilled with the selection and he is looking forward to training their first horse," Ellis said.

"We are very proud to have a horse in the stable that will be owned by Boys Get Paid. They are a terrific group and what they are doing for racing is incredible. I'm delighted that many of these top young people are getting into racing.

"We gave them an introduction with winners Awareness and Combat Queen and now they have a filly to own themselves. It's very exciting.

"She is an absolutely gorgeous filly and goes back to one of the best families in Europe, and the dam sire Bernardini has already left Karaka Million winner Ruud Awakening.

"We have taken the task of sourcing a yearling for Boys Get Paid with a lot of responsibly and will certainly be doing our best to make it a positive experience for everyone involved."

While excited about the future with his recent acquisition, yesterday Kemeys was busy working his way through refunding the winnings to his members from an enjoyable day on the punt at Ellerslie on Saturday.

"We broke even, basically," he said. "We needed Amarelinha to win, which would have been huge for us, but it wasn't to be. Everyone is happy and some of the refunds have already been done. We will now take a bit of a breather and figure out how to attack the next 12 months."