Kia Ora Stud has one of the best broodmare bands in the land and duly presented a high-quality draft to the 2021 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
Amongst a bevy of bluebloods, it was hard not to be impressed by the esteem held for one particular filly.
From the second crop of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (USA), the filly is a daughter of Kia Ora’s high-class mare Gypsy Robin (USA).
At the time of the sale, Gypsy Robin’s son Wild Ruler had won the Group II ATC Roman Consul Stakes, Listed Heritage Stakes and Inglis Millennium (RL) and placed in the Group 1 VRC Coolmore Stud stakes.
The son of Snitzel was destined to win at the highest level in the Moir Stakes at four.
A 525,000 Easter Yearling purchase for China Horse Club / Newgate Bloodstock / WinStar, Wild Ruler banked $2,618,125 while under the care of Peter and Paul Snowden. The till kept ticking over when Wild Ruler covered 174 mares for a fee of $38,500 at Newgate Farm last spring.
So, hopes were high for the daughter of American Pharoah (USA), described by Kia Ora Stud’s Bloodstock and Breeding Manager Shane Wright as “a loose moving filly that really fills the eye, very correct and is just going to keep improving.”
A realistic $200,000 reserve was put on the filly, but with her sire slow off the mark, bidding halted at $160,000, and she returned home.
Named Pavitra and sent to Richard and Will Freedman, she looked a long way off repaying the faith of her owners when disappointing at her first two starts at Goulburn and Newcastle.
She underwent something of a transformation when the distances stretched out. Sporting Kia Ora Stud’s royal blue, light blue vee and sleeves, Pavitra broke her maiden over 1860m at Kembla Grange in August last year and a month later won at Newcastle despite dropping back to 1500m.
It encouraged connections to have a throw at the stumps in the Group 1 Flight Stakes at Randwick, finishing a well-beaten fifth of ten behind Zougotcha.
Taken south for the spring, Pavitra clocked in third in the Group III Ethereal Stakes, second in the Group II Wakeful Stakes, and rounded out her campaign with a length second to She’s Extreme in the Group 1 Victorian Oaks.
Pavitra resumes in Saturday’s Group II Millie Fox Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill, where the Joe Pride-trained Toronado (IRE) mare Mariamia is the short-priced favourite after thumping Golden Mile in the Group II Expressway Stakes.
It may be run at a distance considered too short for Pavitra, but there was a lot to like about her barrier trial over 1000m at Rosehill on February 13.
Not going overboard on belting a field of non-triers, but they did include King Of Sparta, Riodini and Zaaki (GB).
Gypsy Robin (USA) was a $750,000 purchase for Kia Ora Stud at the 2013 Keeneland November Sale.
She was a top-class race mare in North America for Wesley Ward. Breaking her maiden as a 2yo by over seven lengths at Keeneland, Gypsy Robin (USA) made the trip to Royal Ascot for the Group II Queen Mary Stakes, where she led with a furlong to run before weakening for seventh behind the Exceed And Excel filly Best Terms.
This is nice work by Pavitra
Back home, Gypsy Robin won a pair of Grade IIs and three Listed stakes and was second in the Grade 1 Test stakes at Saratoga in a 12-stat career.
The daughter of the Awesome Again stallion Daaher is a half-sister to stakes-winner Tiger Cat Lilly (Tale Of The Cat), out of the stakes-winning Indian Charlie mare Feisty Princess.
Gypsy Robin (USA) made it four consecutive fillies when foaling a daughter of Kia Ora Stud’s Golden Slipper winner Farnan on October 28, after which she headed to Arrowfield for another date with Snitzel.
