The Kelly family’s Newhaven Park at Boorowa has been selling quality yearlings at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sales for over three generations. This year, they will present a draft of 18 youngsters by elite sires from proven producing families including some of Newhaven’s evergreens.
Newhaven is renowned for its fabulous history which includes standing the mighty Wilkes, Star Kingdom’s great rival, and leading sires such as Imperial Prince, Zeditave, Marauding, Luskin Star and the current incumbent Xtravagant who has all the right credentials to follow in those illustrious footsteps. Newhaven graduates have included four Golden Slipper winners, Vivarchi, Prowl, the flying grey John’s Hope and the mighty mare Burst who turned 30 this year and lives out her days happily at the farm. Other champions include the likes of Research, Arborea, Assertive Lass, Encounter and Shogun Lodge as well as Magic Millions winner Unencumbered, plus Jamaican Rain, Al Samer, Quays, Magic Albert and Court (dam of champion sprinter English) among those of more recent fame.
The sire power featuring in the 2020 Newhaven draft is striking, with two superb lots by the farm’s own Xtravagant, four by the sensational sales and racetrack success Not A Single Doubt, two by triple champion Australian sire Snitzel and two by international elite sire Teofilo as well as yearlings by Dundeel, Medaglia d’Oro, Fastnet Rock, Kitten’s Joy, Vancouver, Written Tycoon, I Am Invincible and the brilliant Zoustar. All champions in one form or another, they speak volumes about the quality of this draft.
Xtravagant had that magic ingredient which is such a key indicator of stallion success, blinding speed. He was one of the fastest horses out of the gates since the incomparable Newhaven bred Vain, and won Gr.1 races by colossal margins, the likes of which are rarely seen in turf racing anywhere in the world. His victories in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas 1600m by 8.5 lengths in 1.33.59 from a field of 14 and the Waikato Sprint 1400m by 8 lengths from a field of 11 in 1.21.92 had to be seen to be believed.
Newhaven will offer LOT 76 by him, a black colt out of multiple Group winning and Gr.1 producing mare Miss Marielle by champion broodmare since Encosta de Lago. This colt is a half-brother to two stakes winners, Gr.1 Coolmore Classic winner Peeping, and France (Encouraging HK) winner of over A$1.3 million. The second Xtravagant yearling is LOT 261, also out of an Encosta de Lago mare Unabated who is already the dam of three stakes horses and two other winners. Her five foals to race are all winners and include the very talented Supara, multiple Group 2 placed including second in the Surround S which is now a Group One.
Newhaven’s pair by Snitzel are a filly LOT 122 out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Our Gilda from the Lady Jakeo family and a colt LOT 271 out of the Var mare Via Africa who was champion sprinter in South Africa with 10 wins including the Scottsville South African Fillies sprint-Gr.1 twice.
The four youngsters by Not A Single Doubt include colt LOT 88 bred on the same cross as Gr.1 winner Miracles Of Life, being out of the More Than Ready mare More Than Diamonds. This colt has a real stallion’s pedigree with his second dam being a half-sister to Shamardal and his third dam is a full sister to Street Cry. I Am Invincible is one of the best sires of fillies in recent years with Invincibella and Loving Gaby among his Gr.1 winners from the fairer sex and the Newhaven filly LOT 432 out of Family Girl by Zeditave could well be next, as she is out of one of Newhaven’s finest Gr.1 producing families. Family Girl is a winning full sister to Gr.1 winner Genius And Evil (Absolute Champion HK), whose half-brother is Gr.1 winner Wylie Hall with Newhaven bred Gr.1 winner Drum and Anamato also featuring on the page.
Another highlight will undoubtedly be LOT 280, a Fastnet Rock filly out of the Galileo mare Wansesingyee whose first two foals to race are the multiple Group winner and Gr.1 placed Luvaluva, one of the best mares currently in training and the rising star Brandenburg, recent winner of the Gr.2 Hobartville S since the catalogue was printed. What a spectacular pedigree this is, this filly is by a dual champion Australian sire, from a mare whose two foals to race on both Group winners and bred on one of the world’s most successful nicks. The Fastnet Rock/Galileo cross has a phenomenal 17 SW from 74 runners (23% SW/R). This filly is sure to provide one of the real highlights of this year’s sale.
We asked John Kelly for a summary of his draft –
“We believe this is one of the best drafts that we have taken to the Inglis Easter Sale for many years. It is dominated by the best sires in the land. They are a fast, precocious-looking group of young horses.
Our filly by Fastnet Rock out of Galileo mare, Wansesingyee, is bred on a wonderful cross and anyone who inspects will not be disappointed.
Our Dundeel filly out of Simply Brilliant is a full-sister to the very promising 3YO filly Miss Einstein. She has size, power and scope.
The Not A Single Doubt colt out of More Than Diamonds is a striking individual and he lives up to his pedigree which includes the Champion stallions Street Cry and Shamardal.”
And a comment about the exciting Xtravagant as we head into Easter.
“We have two lovely Xtravagant colts, from two mares who have been wonderful servants of Newhaven in Miss Marielle and Unabated, both being dams of multiple stakes horses.
Xtravagant is a horse who we have great faith in. He has been well received at the yearling sales this year and we are very confident that he will justify this faith with the performances of his progeny on the race track.” ©
