Rich Hill Stud stallion Satono Aladdin stars in Karaka Book 2

Rich Hill Stud stallion Satono Aladdin has provided the headline acts of Book 2 of Karaka 2025, siring the highest-priced lots on both Wednesday and Thursday.

Fewer than 24 hours after topping the sale with Brighthill Farm’s NZ$260,000 filly out of Sparkling Rose late on Wednesday afternoon, Satono Aladdin took top billing again with two six-figure sales in the final hour of day two.

The top price of the second day was NZ$150,000, which John Foote paid to secure Lot 1079. The colt was offered by Libby and Sam Bleakley’s Highden Park and is out of the High Chaparral mare High Esteem.

Coming from a renowned family built up by Glenn and Lisa Morton, High Esteem is out of the winning Black Minnaloushe mare Black Bijou, who is a half-sister to the outstanding Prized Gem.

Herself a Group 1 winner on both sides of the Tasman, Prized Gem made just as much impact at stud as the dam of G1 Australian Derby (2400m) winner and sire Nom Du Jeu, plus G2 winner Jeu De Cartes and Stakes performer Warp Speed.

“I thought he was the nicest horse on the grounds,” Foote said. “He had a fair bit of High Chaparral in him, which is always a great thing. So I was pretty happy to get him for that price, actually. He comes from that very good Prized Gem family.

“He was bought for David Price and will be going to Victoria and then potentially to Hong Kong.

“John Thompson has got a good stallion on his hands with Satono Aladdin. He’s blessed, John. He’s got Proisir, Shocking and Satono and Ace High doing well too, so he’s on fire.”

Thursday’s top lot continued a productive couple of days for Foote, who led the buying bench with half a dozen purchases on the opening day of Book 2 on Wednesday.

“It’s been a bit tough on the second day actually, we got beaten a few times earlier in the day and then we managed to buy two this afternoon,” he said.

“We also bought a Vadamos colt from Haunui (Lot 1030) for NZ$70,000. He has a nice pedigree. He’s probably a horse you wouldn’t expect to buy for Hong Kong, but he was just a very good-looking colt and with a bit of pedigree too.”

It was just the latest in a long line of successful Karaka sales for Foote, who has been attending the sale for close to four decades.

“I’ve just been told Karaka opened in 1988 and I’ve been here since then,” he said. “Before that, I went to Trentham.

“I love Book 2. There’s some really nice horses at the right price. I think it’s a pity there aren’t more. Some of the horses that they take to Australia should be left here. I think they’d do well.”

Satono Aladdin’s other high-priced yearling on Thursday afternoon was Lot 1061, a colt out of the five-time winning Denman mare Gerda who was knocked down to Universal Bloodstock for NZ$140,000. He was offered by Seaton Park.

Another late highlight of the Book 2 session on Thursday afternoon was Lot 1082, a Shamexpress colt out of winning High Chaparral mare High Tail It. The colt was offered by Windsor Park Stud and was bought by Patella Bloodstock for NZ$125,000.

The four yearlings by Shamexpress offered in Book 2 averaged NZ$97,500 as the exciting Windsor Park Stud stallion continues to make waves.

“He is a lovely horse and is very much in the style of Shamexpress,” Windsor Park Stud’s Rodney Schick said.

“It’s great that he was purchased by a top young horseman in Nick Kneebone, who is coming back to train in New Zealand.

“He is a great-coloured horse, with lovely markings and he was a bit of a standout. Shamexpress had only small representation, but statistically is a high-class sire and when you leave a brilliant racehorse like Ka Ying Rising it is a lot easier to sell them.”