Expectations and excitement are mounting at Goodwood Stud ahead of Karaka where the first crop of Chinese Dragon will be presented at the National Yearling Sales.
Rex and William Fell's foundation stallion is well-represented in the farm’s biggest draft yet spread through all three divisions of the auction.
“We’ve got 12 Chinese Dragons and a total of 27 in all and we’re very pleased and excited about the quality and depth throughout,” William Fell said.
A son of Stravinsky and the Alydar mare Fabulous Fairy, whose dam Fairy Footsteps won the Group One English 1000 Guineas, Chinese Dragon was a juvenile winner in Ireland before furthering his career in the United States.
The Gr 2 winner of the San Francisco Mile and Gr 1 placed in the Santa Anita Mile, he was retired to Goodwood Stud as the winner of seven of his 13 starts.
“We’ve got two Chinese Dragons in the Premier Sale with a colt out You Remember Me (Lot 145) who has had six to the track for six winners, including the stakes-winner Etoile Du Nord,” Fell said.
“She’s been a great producer and this colt is a spitting image of Chinese Dragon with a lot of quality about him and a great head.”
The farm’s co-top lot at the 2010 sale was an O’Reilly filly out of You Remember Me who was knocked down to the Sydney-based bloodstock agent Steve Brem for $170,000.
Chinese Dragon’s daughter (Lot 444) boasts a Gr 1 pedigree being a half-sister to the Ellerslie Sires’ Produce Stakes winner and champion juvenile filly Mi Jubilee.
"This one is also very similar to her sire with a great look and shoulder. The Chinese Dragons are outstanding to deal with and we’re pretty excited about his future.”
In the Premier Sale consignment, Fell also singled out a Tale Of The Cat filly (Lot 377) for special mention.
“She is an outstanding first foal for Just Peaches and is very correct and oozes quality,” he said. By Howbaddouwantit, Just Peaches is a grand-daughter of the former top racemare and multiple Gr 1 performer Daisy.
“Our Red Ransom filly (Lot 315) is a lovely type as well and is out of the Zabeel mare Fleureel,” Fell said. The dam is a sister to the Gr 1 Melbourne Cup winner Jezabeel. “We will also be offering some quality yearlings by Pins, Holy Roman Emperor (Lot 101) and Testa Rossa (Lot 283) so we’ve got an excellent selection,” Fell said.
Goodwood will also present yearlings by Pins (Lot 333) out of a More Than Ready mare and a half-brother to Gr 2 Sandown Guineas winner Schilling by Snitzel (Lot 433).
In the Select draft, high expectations were held for two more Chinese Dragon-sired youngsters. “The colt out of Flytaine (Lot 861) is a half-brother to Mercury Mistress, who has been a stakes-winner, and he’s a beautiful type and one of the stand-outs for sure,” Fell said.
“There’s also a filly out of Gypsy Rose (Lot 900) who is a really nice individual and pretty hard to fault.” Gypsy Rose, who like Flytaine is a daughter of Centaine, hails from the family of the Gr 1 Epsom Handicap winner Rock Kingdom.
Chinese Dragon will be further represented by Lots 640, 872, 1022 and 1072 while the consignment is completed by colts by Volksraad (Lot 628), Pins (Lot 825), Iffraaj (Lot 1034) and Elusive Quality (Lot 1118) and daughters of Iffraaj (Lot 512 and 959).
In the Festival Sale, Goodwood will offer colts by Chinese Dragon (Lots 1167 and 1281), Dubleo (Lot 1387) and fillies by Chinese Dragon (Lots 1259, 1468), Lion Heart (Lot 1391) and Savabeel (Lot 1405).