35 High Chaparral Yearlings at Karaka 2011

One of the star attractions at Karaka 2011 is no doubt the progeny of hot, young sire High Chaparral, represented by 35 yearlings at Karaka from 31 January.

High Chaparral (Sadler's Wells x Kasora by Dirshaan), shuttled to 2009/2010 New Zealand Breeder of the Year, Windsor Park Stud for five seasons from 2005 to 2009. His 2009 crop was his smallest of any season with just 54 foals, putting his 35 yearlings on offer at Karaka in hot demand.

From a draft of 19 colts and 14 fillies in the Karaka Premier Sale, High Chaparral has some very appealing young horses on offer. Nelson, Sue and Rodney Schick's Windsor Park Stud will be offering the largest line-up of his young stock with 21 entries.

On the track, High Chaparral was a champion racehorse. A winner of the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy at two, at three he won the Group 1 Derby Stakes, the Group 1 Irish Derby and the Group 1 Breeder's Cup Turf. His achievements saw him crowned the Eclipse Champion Turf Horse in the U.S.A and the top rated Three-Year-Old in England and Ireland (11-13 furlongs).

So You Think winning his second Cox Plate

He trained on at four to defend his Group 1 Breeder's Cup Turf title as well as winning the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes and running third in the coveted Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He was crowned Eclipse Champion Turf Horse in the U.S.A for the second consecutive year and was also the top-rated Older Horse in Ireland (9.5-13 furlongs).

High Chaparral is one of the latest sons of champion sire Sadler's Wells to come to Australasian shores and his sire sons are no stranger to success in the Southern Hemisphere. Montjeu sired six individual Group 1 winners during his short stud career in New Zealand including Speed Gifted, Roman Emperor, Wall Street and young sires Nom de Jeu and Tavistock.

From High Chaparral's first New Zealand crop he has sired four individual Group 1 winners. Headlined by the five time Group 1 winner So You Think, he has also sired Descarado, Monaco Consul and Shoot Out. These sons of High Chaparral have won 10 Group 1 races between them including two Derbies, two Cox Plates and a Caulfield Cup, and almost A$11 million in combined stakes earnings. High Chaparral is also the sire of the Canadian Group 1 winner Redwood who ran second to Mastery in the 2010 Group 1 Hong Kong Vase.

The Group 2 Championship Stakes at Ellerslie on New Year's Day has unearthed yet another son of High Chaparral with serious potential. Despite only racing on two previous occasions and racing greenly in the Ellerslie straight, Hidden Asset outclassed a far more seasoned and experienced field.

High Chaparral's Group 1 winners have come from a wide selection of families and broodmare sires: So You Think (Tights), Shoot Out (Pentire), Monaco Consul (Star Way), Descarado (Lord Ballina) and Redwood (Woodman). The High Chaparral / Danehill cross is an obvious connection for the young sire and it has already produced Group 3 winners Above Average and Noll Wallop.

The Karaka Premier Sale features four lots with the Danehill cross along with four mares from the Star Way line, the same cross as the dual Group 1 winner Monaco Consul as well as Sir Tristram (4), the same cross as Hidden Asset, Roberto (3) and Last Tycoon through his son O'Reilly (2).

Among High Chaparral's progeny for Karaka 2011 are:
• Lot 293 is a colt from the stakes winning Kaapstad mare Egoli Lass, a half-brother to the South African Group 1 winner Gold Onyx (Black Minnaloushe). Egoli Lass is a daughter of the Group 2 winner Rationale, the grand-dam of Amalfi, Vigour, Joey Massino and Vincent Mangano.
• Lot 208, from Brilliant Princess, is a half-brother to Group 1 ARC Easter Handicap winner Prince Kaapstad (Kaapstad).
• Lot 165, the colt from the O'Reilly mare A Real Princess, a sister to the HK-2 Hong Kong Derby winner Unique Jewellery, and a half-sister to the Group 1 winner Marju Snip.
• Lot 238, the colt from the Star Way mare Clarens, a half-sister to the stakes winner Philidor, Clarens is out of La Brillante; a daughter of Eight Carat, she is a sister to Kaapstad and a three-quarter-sister to Octagonal.
• Lot 113, the filly from the Group 1 winning mare The Mighty Lions, a half-sister to the stakes placed Promise Keeper.
• Lot 439, from Misskap, is the half-brother to the Group 1 VRC Derby winner Kibbutz (Golan).
• Other highlights include Lot 84, the colt from the Danske mare Straight Eight, a full brother to Hi Flo who is already a race winner; and Lot 1, the colt from the Sir Tristram mare Queen Caelia, a full brother to current Group 3 winner Fairy Oak.
Click here to view High Chaparral's draft in the 2011 Karaka Premier Sale and the Karaka Select Sale.
The New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale Series will begin with the Premier Sale on 31 January & 1 February. The Select Sale will run from 2 - 4 February with the Festival Sale on 6 & 7 February.

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