The first progeny of emerging American sire Fear The Dragon in this country are up for sale, until Wednesday.
Six colts and five fillies from the former North American Cup winner are being auctioned on gavelhouse.com .
They are offered up by Southland-based Macca Lodge. Altogether there are 27 lots up for sale from a number of vendors, with the auction closing on May 26.
Despite winning $US1.7m and having 17 wins in 29 starts, including the 2017 North American Cup, Fear The Dragon’s not widely known here.
Macca Lodge’s Brent McIntyre says that’s the point of the sale.
“We have to get them out there,” he says, “they are the first crop, there are some nice types there.”
“Overseas they have done well… he had a full season in the USA and has a got full book now so they like him over there.”
In North America Fear The Dragon produced the top priced yearling at both the Ohio Selected Jug and the Buckeye Classic sale.
One colt, a half-brother to New Zealand sire Johny Rock, sold for $US100,000 while another was bought by top trainer Ron Burke for $120,000.
McIntyre’s hopeful the industry will embrace the stallion here – “he’s an outcross stallion that can be bred to any mare in New Zealand” – though he is mindful that it’s a fickle market dominated by the likes of super sire Bettor’s Delight.
“It’s boom or bust,” says McIntyre, “in Australia and the US they punt on new stallions so hopefully they’ll give him a go here.”
What he doesn’t sell will stay at his Northern Southland farm, where there are 160 mares as well as 70 yearlings and weanlings.
McIntyre also trains his own team, bringing up his 50th winner earlier this season.
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