Cambridge Stud went to NZ$1.1 million to secure Group 1 winner Amarelinha (Savabeel) on Gavelhouse Plus on Wednesday evening. The mare will be covered by Cambridge Stud shuttler Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) this spring.
Five international buyers were active during the sale, however, the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m) winner will stay in New Zealand.
"It's great to be able to reverse the tide a little bit and keep this mare in New Zealand," Cambridge Stud's sales and nominations manager Cameron Ring said.
"She will visit Cambridge Stud stallion Almanzor, along with our recently retired champion mare Probabeel (Savabeel), so he's shaping up to have an exceptional book of mares this spring."
By Waikato Stud's champion sire Savabeel (Zabeel), Amarelinha is from the family of Group One winner Metal Bender (Danasinga), Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) placegetter North Pacific (Brazen Beau), this season's Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) winner Sweet Ride (Deep Field), and Group 3-winning mare Missybeel (Savabeel). She is also closely related to the Group 1 winner and successful sire Keeper (Danehill).
Amarelinha was a $300,000 purchase from Book 1 of New Zealand Bloodstock's Karaka 2019 sale by Te Akau's David Ellis and she raced 16 times for five wins and in addition to the New Zealand Oaks, she captured the Group 2 Fillies' Classic (2000m), the Group 2 Eight Carat Classic (2000m) and the Group 3 Sunline Vase (2100m).
"She certainly had a lot going for her as a broodmare prospect," Ring said. "She hails from an outstanding family that we didn't previously have represented in our Cambridge Stud broodmare band. We're delighted to have been able to secure an Oaks winner with that pedigree page.
"A special thank you to her owners and the team at Te Akau Racing, for giving us such a wonderful opportunity to purchase a mare of this quality. She was perfectly trained by Jamie Richards and Mark Walker, and her racing career was a real credit to the Te Akau operation."
Ellis has sold a number of well-credentialed mares on the Gavelhouse Plus platform including Avantage who sold for NZ$4.1 million last September.
"This is another fantastic result through Gavelhouse Plus," Ellis said. "Overall, over the last 14 months, we've sold horses for a total of around $20 million, which is unbelievable.
"I'm delighted for the owners of this mare, who supported Karyn (Fenton-Ellis) and me when we bought her at Karaka three years ago. We paid $300,000 for her, and she won the Oaks and all those other great races, plus $50,000 worth of bonuses for winning the title of New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year.
"To have all of that capped by this result this evening is hugely satisfying, and we're thrilled for her owners.
"But I think the most exciting part of it for me is that Cambridge Stud bought her, she's staying in New Zealand, and she'll go to Almanzor – a stallion we rate very highly and know a bit about, thanks to his Karaka Million-winning son Dynastic."
