Cambridge Stud's rising stallion star Sword Of State had buyers’ hearts racing in the early stages of New Zealand Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale with a top class colt selling for $500,000.
The handsome youngster from O'Carol was presented as Lot 9 by Chad Ormsby’s Riverrock Farm and Victoria’s Laming Bloodstock had the final say.
“He’s an outstanding individual, he ticked all the boxes and I thought I may have had to pay a bit more, so I was very happy,” Richard Laming said.
“He’ll head down to Woburn Farm now for three or four weeks before we get him over to Melbourne. He looks a potential Guineas type of horse.”
He was bred by Brown Thoroughbreds and is a half-brother to the winners Group performers Sedaka and Suit Yourself.
Their dam is the Rip Van Winkle mare O’Carol, who was successful on three occasions up to 1600 metres, and she is a half-sister to the dual Listed winner Odeon.
The colt’s pedigree also boasts a strong international flavour through Group winners Tale Of A Champion, Bandua, Ilusora, Mr Roary and Olympic Fluke.
“He really stood out to me and if he can put a good win next to his name then he’s a potential stallion prospect,” Laming said.
Another Sword Of State heading across the Tasman is Lot 149 who was bought of BMD Bloodstock’s draft for $120,000 by Lindsay Park Racing and agent Dean Hawthorne.
He is a son of the Tavistock mare Tango Gold whose half-sister is the G1 Schweppes Oaks winner Princess Jenni, also victorious in the G2 Stocks Stakes and at Group 3 level inn the Alexandra Stakes and Bendigo Cup.
Meanwhile, we also enjoyed success from the other side of the fence with the $200,000 purchase of Lot 225, a well-related daughter of Savabeel from the Lilywhites Lodge consignment.
The filly is out of the English-bred Oasis Dream mare Arabian Night whose half-sister Olaya was a North American Group 3 winner.
News rom Cambridge Stud
