Buyers will have access to Pencarrow Stud’s exceptional bloodlines at Karaka 2021, with the well-respected nursery set to send 31 well-bred yearlings through the ring during Book 1.

Pencarrow have 18 colts and 13 fillies in their Karaka 2021 draft, which features the progeny of two Group One-winning mares, nine stakes winners and a further five black-type placegetters. Most of the 31 pedigrees trace back through distinguished Pencarrow families which have had a huge influence on the Australasian breeding and racing scene.

Few mares fit that description better than 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 countless outstanding performers.

Richebourg’s six individual winners include outstanding performers 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) in 1993.

She is the dam of seven winners including the legendary Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm), who won four Group Ones including the Queensland Oaks (2400m) and Caulfield Cup (2400m)-Melbourne Cup (3200m) double in 2001 as well as the BMW Stakes in 2002.

Ethereal herself is the dam of four stakes performers, while her half-sister Sopra Tutto (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy) is the dam of Group One performers Eleonora (NZ) (Makfi) and Supera (NZ) (Savabeel).

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 is now a a leading sire. Burgundy (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice), a $1.3 million yearling, won five stakes races, placed at Group One level and also became a successful sire.

Richebourg is also the dam of Our Echezeaux (NZ) (Zabeel), who won two races 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).

There are plenty more top-class families found on the pedigree pages of Pencarrow’s yearlings in Book 1:

• Lot 22 is a colt by Lonhro out of Palace Gardens (NZ) (More Than Ready), who is an unraced daughter of Dolmabache.
• Lot 57 is a colt by Turn Me Loose out of Quintessentially (NZ) (High Chaparral), whose dam Uberalles (NZ) (Giant’s Causeway) is a Group One-placed daughter of Ethereal.
• Lot 198 is a colt by Vadamos out of Velvet and Satin (NZ) (Carnegie), a Group One-placed daughter of Romanee Conti.
• Lot 325 is a filly by Tavistock out of Cote d’Or, who won eight races including the Listed Matamata Cup (1600m).
• Lot 352 is a colt by Pierro out of Group Two Travis Stakes (2000m) winner Dolmabache.
• Lot 367 is a colt by Tavistock out of Echezeaux (NZ) (Encosta de Lago), a stakes-placed daughter of Grand Echezeaux.

Desert Lily (Green Desert) is the dam or granddam of Pencarrow’s stakes-winning mares Lafleur (NZ) (Zabeel), Amaryllis (NZ) (Red Ransom), Papilio (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice) and a more recent addition to the broodmare band, Listed winner and Group One-placed Wildflower (NZ) (Keeper). Pencarrow’s Karaka 2021 draft features five yearlings from this line.

Stud manager Leon Casey believes that long-established, high-quality families such as these are what sets Pencarrow apart from other vendors at Karaka 2021.

“Pencarrow is a longer-term breeding operation. A lot of these yearlings are the foals of mares we bred and raced, who won Group races in our colours and then came back to the farm to breed.

“Wildflower is an example of that. She was a homebred mare who performed up to Group One level in our colours, then returned to our stud, and we’re taking her first foal to Karaka for Book 1.

“With the Ethereal family, virtually all of the black type on the page was produced off our farm. That’s a real point of difference from a lot of other vendors, whose pedigree pages are often more of a compilation from various different sources.

“Another notable one is Scintillula (Galileo), who was a high-class racemare, and her first foal (Birdsong (NZ) (Snitzel)) has now won four races from only a handful of starts. She hasn’t had much of an opportunity at black type yet, but she looks quite promising, which bodes very well for the pedigree,” Casey said.

Scintillula has also produced runner-up on debut Butter Chicken (NZ) (Savabeel), who ran second over 1400m in the Cranbourne TC
Hygain Maiden Plate on 8 January 2021. Butter Chicken was sold by Pencarrow at NZB's Karaka 2019 Book 1 Sale to Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock for $800,000.

Other notable members of Pencarrow’s Karaka 2021 draft include:

• Lot 59, a colt by Iffraaj out of Rasa Lila (NZ) (Darci Brahma), who won seven races including the Group Two Travis Stakes (2000m) and Group Three Cuddle Stakes (1600m). She also placed in the Group One Windsor Park Plate (1600m) and Easter Stakes (1600m).
• Lot 88 is a filly by Almanzor out of Salkantay (NZ) (Zabeel), who is a half-sister to stakes winners Te Akau Coup (NZ) (Thorn Park) and Don Garcia (NZ) (Danehill). Salkantay is the dam of stakes performer Smiling Touch (NZ) (O’Reilly).
• Lot 94 is a filly by Zoustar out of Scintillula, who won the Group Three Meld Stakes (1800m) at Leopardstown and placed in the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes (1400m).
• Lot 159 is a colt by Tavistock out of Sweet Dreams Baby (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy), who is the dam of stakes winners Windborne (NZ) (Darci Brahma) and Darci’s Dream (NZ) (Darci Brahma).
• Lot 257 is a filly by American Pharoah out of Assume (IRE) (Fastnet Rock), who is stakes-performed daughter of Fastnet Rock.
• Lot 431 is a colt by Tavistock out of Guiseppina (NZ) (Johar), who won three stakes races including the Group One Telegraph (1200m). She also placed in the Group One Spring Classic (2040m) and Otaki-Maori WFA (1600m).
• Lot 449 is a filly by Russian Revolution out of Insouciant (NZ) (Keeper), who won the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).
• Lot 547 is a colt by Almanzor out of Miss Scarlatti (NZ) (Stravinsky), who won at Listed level and placed in the Group One VRC Oaks (2500m).

Pencarrow’s draft will be available to view from the afternoon of Tuesday 19 January at H Barn at the Karaka Sales Centre. Book 1 of Karaka 2021 begins at 1PM (NZT) on Sunday 24 January and runs through until 26 January.

View the full Pencarrow Karaka 2021 Book 1 draft here.