Million-dollar Teeley mare bought for Dundeel
Dundeel’s breeder Murray Andersen and a group of his New Zealand owners that have retained shares in the six-time Group 1 winner are determined to give him the best possible opportunity to succeed at stud.
So determined are they that Murray went to $1.1 million at Wednesday’s Select Session of the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale to secure Rex Is A Star (Encosta de Lago-Sliding Cube by Rock of Gibraltar) to visit Dundeel.
A 2YO city winner and in foal to Pierro, Rex Is A Star is a full sister to boom colt Rubick, winner of this season’s MRC Blue Diamond Prelude G3 and widely tipped for bigger things at three.
Even more significantly, Rex Is A Star is a grand-daughter of the famous mare Shantha’s Choice, dam of five stakeswinners including Group 1 winners Redoute’s Choice, Manhattan Rain & Platinum Scissors.
The family made fresh history by providing nine of the ten million-dollar broodmares sold from the Teeley Dispersal draft presented by Arrowfield Stud, including the $2.3 million sale-topper Monsoon Wedding, the only sister of Redoute’s Choice.
Rex Is A Star holds particular interest as a mate for Dundeel because Encosta de Lago, through his sire Fairy King, brings in a third line of Special, grand-dam of Sadler’s Wells (sire of High Chaparral) and dam of Nureyev (damsire of Zabeel). The presence of Danehill in the third remove of Rex Is A Star’s pedigree is also appealing, given his proven affinity for both Sadler’s Wells and Zabeel.
Rex Is A Star is the third mare for Dundeel purchased by Waimarama NZ Ltd, established by Murray & Jo Andersen and their fellow Hawke’s Bay-based shareholders Mike & Sharyn Craig, Jenny & David Morison, Tracy Andersen & Gavin Chaplow. Earlier purchases are the Irish-bred Michikabu (by Grand Lodge) and Al Samoud (by Desert Prince), dam of the promising 3YO Zabeel filly Katie’s Cove.
Murray says, “We’re very pleased to buy Rex Is A Star from such a sought-after family and we look forward to both selling and racing first-crop progeny by Dundeel.”
Also destined to visit Dundeel is dual Group 3 winner Sharnee Rose (Nadeem-Farasha by Jeune), purchased by Arrowfield Stud today for $575,000 from the Yarraman Park Stud consignment. From the Easy Date family of leading young sire Not A Single Doubt, Sharnee Rose was also third in the 2011 MRC The Thousand Guineas G1 won by Atlantic Jewel, whose only defeat was inflicted by Dundeel in last Spring’s MRC Underwood S. G1.
Dundeel, the highest-rated entire in Australasia this season, stands his first season at Arrowfield in 2014 at a fee of $27,500 inc. GST.
