Bidding is now open for the 51 lots available on the latest gavelhouse.com fortnightly auction, which includes a former Te Akau Racing mare with outstanding pedigree credentials.

Stella Splendida was bred by Sir Peter Vela’s internationally renowned Pencarrow Stud and has star power on both sides of her pedigree.

Her sire Zoustar was himself a dual Group One winner from a nine-start career before embarking on a top-class stallion career at Widden Stud. He was Australia’s champion first-season sire in 2017-18, and his current service fee is A$220,000.

Zoustar is the sire of 582 winners from 835 runners, with 53 stakes winners including Group One stars Sunlight, Zougotcha, Zoutori, Lezoo, Mizzy, Ozzmosis and Joliestar. He has also made a promising start as a broodmare sire, with three winners including this season’s Group Three-winning Australian two-year-old Holmes A Court.

Stella Splendida’s dam is Scintillula, who won the Group Three Meld Stakes (1800m) at Leopardstown and placed in the Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes (1400m). She also finished fourth in the Group One Irish Oaks (2400m) and Yorkshire Oaks (2400m).

Scintillula’s full-sister Cuis Ghaire won at Group Three level and placed in the Group One English 1000 Guineas (1600m). Cuis Ghaire is also the dam of Group One Al Quoz Sprint (1200m) winner Danyah. Scintillula’s other siblings include the Listed winner The Major General and Group One placegetters Gile Na Greine and Claiomh Solais.

From five named foals, Scintillula is the dam of four winners from four foals to race. Butter Chicken placed in the Group Two Autumn Classic (1800m), while the current three-year-old filly Waikato Girl has recorded a win and three placings from a six-start career and finished third in last month’s Group Three Kembla Grange Classic (1600m).

Scintillula’s daughters have sold at Karaka for $400,000, $800,000, $800,000 and $600,000, while a colt fetched $230,000 last year.

Te Akau’s David Ellis secured Stella Splendida for $800,000 from Karaka 2021, and she immediately showed enormous promise with a dominant debut victory at Taupo.

“Wow, she’s fast,” rider Opie Bosson said after dismounting. “She had a bit of a look around and needs to drop the bridle, but that’s newness and she’s just class.”

Stella Splendida’s promising but short career has now finished with four wins and two placings from her 12 starts.

“She’s got a really top pedigree,” Ellis said. “We considered her the best filly in the yearling sale of her year and she rightfully topped the sale.

“She showed right from day one that she had an enormous amount of ability, and I think she’ll go on to make a terrific broodmare.

“We’ll be sorry to see her go, because she’s been such a beautiful filly, but that’s the way we do it with fillies like her – we put together a syndicate for their racing career, then put them up for sale when they finish racing.

“I’m looking forward to seeing the types of progeny that she’ll go on to produce.”

Another notable entry in the gavelhouse.com auction is Lot 51, Surtout – an unraced half-sister to Group One performers Supera and Eleonora. The latter is the dam of the current highly talented filly Ethereal Star.

As well as coming from such a high-class family, Surtout is being offered in foal to exciting first-season sire Profondo.

Lot 38, meanwhile, is the stakes-performed import Leytana, who is in foal to Ardrossan.

Bidding is open now and will close from 7pm (NZT) on Monday 15th April.