Racing: Finding good stallion prospect just cost a lot more

No one would have talked to you if you'd mentioned five years ago you were spending $500,000-plus on a colt to race in New Zealand.

The most dramatic thoroughbred landscape change in the last two years is the confidence to spend big in the hope of finding a local stallion prospect.

Te Akau set that market with the dashing King's Chapel - bought for $35,000, won a million dollars then sold to stud for a further million.

Very good business.

There have been a few other attempts and yesterday at the Karaka sales Central District agent Bruce Perry went to $520,000 for the Rock Of Gibraltar-Mazarine filly, whose dam Marquise is from the Eight Carat family and mother of group one Sydney mare Shower Of Roses.

Although the bidding had been done by Hawkes Bay icon investment banker Sam Kelt, Perry and his owners yesterday had been involved as underbidder at $2 million on the $2.2 million sale-topping Stravinsky colt sold on the middle day on Tuesday.

"Most of the investors are local, apart from Johnson Lam," said Perry.

Lam is from Hong Kong and the owner of Ambitious Owner, who won at group one level in New Zealand before heading to Hong Kong.

Perry was happy with the purchase price.

"He'd have made four times as much if he'd been by Redoute's [Choice] and if he can run he'd be worth every bit as much, regardless of what he was by."

The Rock Of Gibraltar colt was extremely athletic and was light on his feet.

He will almost certainly be trained at Cambridge by Murray Baker.