The international success and esteem that Pencarrow Stud has enjoyed over the last few decades has been underpinned by exceptional female families built up by Sir Peter Vela. Buyers get relatively few chances to tap into those famous bloodlines, but Pencarrow’s yearling drafts at Karaka every year provide that prized opportunity.

Pencarrow will present another stellar draft of 26 yearlings at Karaka 2025, with 16 colts and 10 fillies going through the ring during Book 1. These yearlings represent the outstanding Pencarrow families that have made such an impact throughout the Australasian thoroughbred scene.

RICHEBOURG

Among the most influential of those exceptional families is the one that traces back to 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 dozens of outstanding performers.

Richebourg’s six individual winning progeny include the black-type winners and sensational broodmares 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).

She is the dam of seven winners including Pencarrow’s all-time great Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm), who won four Group Ones including the fabled Caulfield Cup (2400m)-Melbourne Cup (3200m) double in 2001. Only 12 horses have ever achieved that iconic feat.

Ethereal herself is the dam of four stakes performers, while her unraced daughter Sopra Tutto (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy) has produced Group One performers Eleonora (NZ) (Makfi) and Supera (NZ) (Savabeel), and Empyrean (NZ) (O’Reilly) is the dam of Listed winner Pericles (NZ) (Rubick).

Eleonora has taken that dynasty into a new generation, with her daughter Ethereal Star (Snitzel) winning at Listed level and placing in the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m).

Romanee Conti’s three-quarter-sister Grand Echezeaux won the Group One Australasian Oaks (2000m) and is the dam of four stakes performers, including the $1.1m yearling Darci Brahma (NZ) (Danehill), who won five Group One races and became a leading sire. Burgundy (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice) was a $1.3m yearling, won five stakes races, placed at Group One level and also went on to a highly successful career at stud.

Our Echezeaux (NZ) (Zabeel) is a full-sister to Grand Echezeaux. She won twice 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).

La Tache (NZ) (Danzatore) is another of Richebourg’s daughters, and she is the granddam of Group Two winner Bellini Rose (NZ) (Faltaat), who in turn produced the Group One winner Howard Be Thy Name (Redoute’s Choice).

This family remains an active source of black-type success. Classy two-year-old filly Too Sweet (NZ) (Satono Aladdin), who won the Group Two Eclipse Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day, has Grand Echezeaux as her fourth dam.

Pencarrow’s Karaka 2025 draft features five representatives of this family.

• Lot 231 is a colt by exciting Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion Hello Youmzain. The dam of this colt is the three-race winner Quintessentially (NZ) (High Chaparral), whose dam Uberalles (NZ) (Giant’s Causeway) is out of Romanee Conti’s champion daughter Ethereal. Uberalles herself was a winner on the racetrack and placed in the Group One New Zealand Derby (2400m).
• Lot 281 is a colt by leading sire Proisir out of the stakes-winning mare Seraphim (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle). Another daughter of Ethereal, Seraphim won four races including the Listed Marton Cup (2100m).
• Lot 312 is a colt by Home Affairs, who was a blistering winner of the Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington for part-owner Sir Peter Vela. The dam of this colt is four-race winner Sopraffina (NZ) (High Chaparral), out of Ethereal’s daughter Sopra Tutto. That makes Sopraffina a half-sister to Group One performers Eleonora and Supera.
• Lot 365 is a filly by Proisir. She is the first foal out of the winning mare Topkapi (NZ) (Tavistock), whose dam Dolmabache won the Group Two Travis Stakes (2000m), placed in the Group One International Stakes (2000m) and is a daughter of Our Echezeaux.
• Lot 465 is a colt by All Too Hard out of Dolmabache’s daughter Aveiro (NZ) (O’Reilly). Aveiro was unraced but is the dam of two winners from two foals to race – Archachon (NZ) (Pierro) and Sesimbra (NZ) (U S Navy Flag).

DESERT LILY

Another quality family among the Pencarrow broodmare band is that of Desert Lily (Green Desert), who was represented by eight winners from nine foals to race. She is either the dam or granddam of Sir Peter Vela’s stakes-winning mares Lafleur (NZ) (Zabeel), Amaryllis (NZ) (Red Ransom), Papilio (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice) and Wildflower (NZ) (Keeper).

Further back in the pedigree page, Desert Lily’s Group One-winning dam Habibti (Habitat) is half-sister to one of New Zealand’s greatest ever broodmares, Eight Carat (Pieces Of Eight).

The Desert Lily bloodlines run through four members of Pencarrow’s Karaka 2025 draft.

• Lot 181 is a colt by Brutal out of Palacetopian (NZ) (Tavistock), whose dam Papilio won the Listed South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m). Papilio is out of Lafleur, a Group Two-winning daughter of Desert Lily.
• Lot 372 is a colt by Too Darn Hot out of Tulip (NZ) (Tavistock), an unraced half-sister to Amaryllis and Papilio. This is her first foal.
• Lot 408 is a filly by Toronado out of Wildflower, whose four wins included the Listed Rotorua Challenge Plate (1950m). She also placed in the Group One Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) and Group Two Avondale Cup (2400m). Wildflower’s only foal to race is the three-race winner Boomtown Boy (NZ) (Caravaggio).
• Lot 617 is a colt by Super Seth out of the two-race winner Floating Heart (NZ) (Encosta de Lago), a daughter of Amaryllis. The winner of the Group Three Darley Plate (1200m), Amaryllis is another stakes-winning daughter of Lafleur.

OTHER NOTABLES

• Lot 12 is a colt by Super Seth out of Indomitable (NZ) (Danehill), who is the dam of triple Group One winner and successful sire Turn Me Loose (NZ) (Iffraaj). Indomitable is also the granddam of Group Three Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) winner Denby Road (NZ) (Shamexpress).
• An emerging star Pencarrow broodmare is Irion (NZ) (Danroad), who won four races in her own right and placed in the Group Two Rich Hill Mile (1600m) and Cuddle Stakes (1600m). She is the dam of three winners from three named foals, including Group Two winner Zourion (NZ) (Zoustar) and Group Three winner and Group One placegetter Pearl Of Alsace (NZ) (Tavistock). Irion is the granddam of Lot 17, a colt by Super Seth out of the winning mare Ipso Facto (NZ) (More Than Ready).
• Lot 101 brings quality European bloodlines to the Karaka sale ring. The filly is by Hello Youmzain out of the Camelot mare Marsden Cross, whose half-sister Many Colours (Green Desert) is dam of the Group One English 1000 Guineas (1600m) and Prix Rothschild (1600m) winner Mother Earth (Zoffany).
• Lot 186 is a Super Seth colt from a female family that has produced Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) winners Insouciant (NZ) (Keeper), Dorabella (NZ) (Postponed) and Media Sensation (I Am Invincible).
• Lot 237 is a filly by Home Affairs 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 was also a dual Group One placegetter. Rasa Lila is out of Dance My Dance (Sadler’s Wells), who is also the dam or granddam of stakes performers Posavina (NZ) (Tiger Hill), Podravina (NZ) (Bel Esprit), Luen On Dance Kid (NZ) (Snitzel) and Arnantara (NZ) (Darci Brahma).
• The colt catalogued as Lot 274 is by nine-time champion New Zealand sire Savabeel out of one of the prized members of Pencarrow’s broodmare band, Scintillula (Galileo). Herself a Group Three winner in Ireland and Group One-placed, Scintillula has had five previous yearlings go through the Karaka sale ring and secured prices of $400,000, $800,000, $800,000, $600,000 and $230,000. Scintillula is the dam of four winners from four foals to race – stakes winner Waikato Girl (NZ) (Savabeel), Group Two placegetter Butter Chicken (NZ) (Savabeel), six-race winner Our Birdsong (Snitzel) and four-race winner Stella Splendida (Zoustar).
• The filly catalogued as Lot 455 comes from the first crop of St Mark’s Basilica, whose nine-start career produced six Group One victories across Ireland, the UK and France. The top-class son of Siyouni was Europe’s Horse of the Year in 2021, Champion 2YO Colt in 2020 and Champion 3YO Colt in 2021. This filly is out of the Group Three-placed Asama Blue (Fastnet Rock), whose only foal to race is the Australian winner Blue As Blue (NZ) (Savabeel).
• Lot 601 is a filly by So You Think (NZ) out of Fair Isle (NZ) (Fastnet Rock). Herself a winner in Australia, Fair Isle is the dam of four winners from four foals to race including the Group Three winner Star Of Justice (NZ) (Justify).

Book 1 of Karaka 2025 runs from January 26 to 28, with selling starting at 10am each day. Pencarrow invites all prospective buyers from New Zealand and abroad to visit the farm and inspect our yearling draft on Wednesday 8 January at 11.15am (196 Pencarrow Road), followed by Thursday 9 January, 9am at Bellwood Farm (495 Totman Road).