The New Zealand Premier Sale at Christchurch was slow and patchy for nearly the first two hours today before Lot 211 walked into the ring.
A colt by the champion sire Bettor's Delight from the In The Pocket mare Free As A Bird ($19,789), he attracted strong interest from the time he walked into the ring.
Free As A Bird had just one winner beside her name on the catalogue page from her first three foals but the remainder of her pedigree is first class with the second dam Maikona having left several black type performers as had the third dam Paperback Writer.
Bidding was brisk from the start and it wasn't long before six figures was reached.
As to be expected the bidding slowed from there but at $130,000 Robert Dunn had won the battle and taken Styx Freedom home.
What the pedigree page hadn't told us was that Robert had brought a half brother to Styx Freedom by Somebeachsomewhere at last years New Zealand Premier Sale for $100,000 and was that impressed he had come back for the half brother.
“ It has been everything but plain sailing with last years buy.”
“ The first thing he got was some ulcers in his mouth which stopped us breaking him in for six weeks.”
“ Then we had an issue with him hanging the Auckland way round and we found he had bone chips in his hock so we had that tidied up.”
“We gelded why he was out as he was getting a bit coltish and now he is about six weeks from the trials from our Auckland barn.”
“ I think a lot of him and think he has a big future which is why we were so keen on his half brother,” Robert told Harnesslink this afternoon at the sale.
Styx Freedom certainly has the looks of a smart horse in the flesh and impressed a lot of good judges today in the ring.
Harnesslink Media