Lot 420 for Karaka 2012, the brown colt by Zabeel from Sarajay. Jenny Kain took this photo earlier this month.
It’s close to four years to the day that we retired our dual Group Two-winning race mare Sarajay (Danasinga). Her final run was in the Zabeel Classic-Gr.1 at Ellerslie on Boxing Day, 2007. She finished a game, typically honest fourth that day and had a select bunch in front of her, namely Sir Slick, Xcellent and Dezigna. Sarajay retired sound with a record of 9 wins, 8 placings and $336,165 in prize money.
Sarajay was in foal to Zabeel during the last couple of months of her racing career. The resulting foal was a colt which was purchased by Gai Waterhouse at Karaka 2010 and the now 3YO is yet to race. Her second foal was another colt by Zabeel; he sold at this year’s Karaka Premier Sale to Mark Kavanagh and is now, of course, a 2YO.
The third foal is yet another colt by Zabeel. I have to say, having seen quite a lot of all three colts, that the latest model is easily the best. He’s very mature, has everything in the right place and, seemingly, has a bombproof temperament.
He and the big consignment of yearlings at Cambridge Stud lead a busy life. I know that a group of Matamata trainers viewed the entire draft on Monday. Yesterday, apparently, the camera was there filming for online video clips and today when I called into the stud I noticed a group of agents and trainers from the Cambridge area there inspecting the consignment. No rest for the babies and that won’t change much between now and when Karaka rolls around at the end of January.