With just three weeks until the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale commences at Karaka, Stud Manager Leon Casey and his team are busy putting the finishing touches on Pencarrow Stud’s 23-strong 2024 sale draft.

The Sir Peter Vela owner operation has developed a rich history of providing quality international and domestic performers since Sir Peter and his late brother Phillip established the Tamahere-based property over three decades ago.

Casey is justifiably excited about the wide range of youngsters the Stud will send through the auction ring this year.

“We have an excellent range of horses in our draft which we believe will appeal to a large cross section of buyers,” Casey said.

“Our pre-Christmas parades for mainly Australian buyers were very well received and we are now doing a number of parades for the domestic buyers.

“It is very heartening to see the level of interest that has been generated.”

While Casey is reluctant to single out any particular individual for special attention, he believes that those with an eye on the international market will be keen on Lot 210, a colt by European Group One winner Kingman out of the Irish mare Marsden Cross who comes from a family that includes outstanding cross-continent Group One performer, Mother Earth,

“Our Kingman colt really catches the eye as he is by an outstanding international stallion who has had only a handful of Southern Hemisphere runners and has already produced VRC Oaks (Gr.1, 2400m) winner Zardozi and JJ Atkins Stakes (Gr.1, 1600m) winner King Colorado down here.

“Kingman is already classified in the Frankel and Dubawi category of sire success in the Northern Hemisphere and with a filly like Mother Earth in his extended pedigree, who won two Group Ones in Europe but was also Group One placed in America, there is plenty of class in the family.”

Casey is quick to point out that a number of the individuals they will offer are from traditional Pencarrow families that have continued to provide the Stud with success, particularly in the past 12 months.

“While we obviously have outstanding horses like Romanee Conti, Ethereal and Darci Brahma come off the farm over the years, it is gratifying to see the families we have built that success on continuing to produce on the racetracks in the last year,” he said.

“One that quickly springs to mind is Pearl Of Alsace who won five of her first six races and is already a stakes winner and Group One placed,

“We have a half-brother to her by Super Seth (Lot 146) in the sale and he is a cracker of a colt. Super Seth has made a great start to his stud career and this guy looks like a real runner.

“We also have Lot 43 by another young stallion in Ole Kirk. We made the conscious decision to put our mare Empyrean, who is a daughter of Ethereal, to a stallion who looked like he produced an early maturing type that could run up to a mile.

“It is a great cross for the family and he really is an outstanding type.”

Casey is also excited to be offering to fillies by first season sire Hello Youmzain, who won twice at Group One level in England including the Gr.1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) at Royal Ascot and now shuttles to Cambridge Stud for the Southern Hemisphere breeding season.

“We have two lovely Hello Youmzain fillies (Lots 87 & 675) from families who have done a great job for us,” he said.

“We are shareholders in the stallion and from what we have seen of his first crop to go through an auction ring in this hemisphere, they should attract plenty of attention as there are some lovely individuals on offer.”

The only negative for Casey in the build-up to Karaka is the fact that he has been battling the effects of a broken arm suffered when handling a mare prior to Christmas.

“I got kicked by a mare a couple of weeks ago but I’m on the mend now,” he said.

“They performed surgery on it and I don’t need a cast or even a bandage,

“I can’t put any pressure on it but that won’t stop me mucking in with team as we prepare for the biggest week of the year for the Stud.”

The National Yearling Sale kicks off at Karaka on Sunday 28 January at 11pm.