The Westbury Club pinhooking syndicate enjoy profitable Karaka
The syndicate’s biggest result came when their Holy Roman Emperor colt (lot 615), a A$10,000 Gold Coast weanling purchase, was knocked down to Singapore trainer Cliff Brown for $140,000.
The brainchild of Buffalo & Co’s Tim Barry, the syndicate purchased two weanlings from the Gold Coast to sell at Karaka and Westbury Stud General Manager Russell Warwick said syndicate members were delighted with the result.
“It’s a big group of people and it’s done through our Westbury Club,” Warwick said. “Tim Barry was the instigator of it all and Tim just wanted a couple of weanlings for us to put through.
“He went across to the Gold Coast and he was one on the list that we were able to buy. We missed out on two or three, but we have done well and all the members seem to be happy.”
The Holy Roman Emperor colt was purchased by Barry with the belief that he would develop into a nice yearling.
“It’s a horse that we were fortunate developed well,” Warwick said.
“He’s a November foal and when we bought him he was probably a little bit behind the eight-ball, which probably most of the people pinhooking like to have a bit more of a guarantee, but he really grew into himself in the last six weeks and we reaped a bit of good fortune at the end of it.
“He’s a lovely scopey horse and he’s by Holy Roman Emperor and there’s obviously a lot of Asian interest there and he’s out of a Redoute’s Choice mare, put those together and we thought he could grow into a nice product and that he did.”
The syndicate’s other pinhook was a Smart Missile colt, who sold as Lot 388 on Tuesday. A A$35,000 weanling purchase, he was sold to Auckland’s Bitchoice Thoroughbreds for $60,000.