Paddington Colt Makes Late Impact at NZB National Weanling Sale

A late supplementary entry by four-time Group 1 winner Paddington made an immediate impact at New Zealand Bloodstock's National Weanling Sale yesterday, selling for $190,000 to become the sale's second-highest-priced lot.
 
The colt, out of Minnaleo, attracted strong competition before being knocked down to Byerley Bloodstock's Liam Peters, acting on behalf of prominent Western Australian owner Bob Peters. The youngster is expected to race in the familiar cerise and white colours.
 
The result provided an early endorsement for Paddington, the Champion Three-Year-Old Miler in Great Britain and Ireland, whose first southern hemisphere crop has already generated significant interest among breeders and buyers.
 

"I was always a big fan of Paddington as a racehorse," Peters said. "I was quite surprised he ended up shuttling to New Zealand. I thought he was one of those top-class horses that might have been considered too valuable to shuttle. But it's fantastic that we have access to him here, and I'm delighted to have secured this colt."
 
Peters believes the youngster fits the profile sought by the successful Bob Peters racing operation.
 
"Bob likes to target Guineas and Derby-type horses, and we really hope this colt develops into that sort of horse. He certainly looks like he has the makings of one."
 
He also highlighted the appeal of Paddington's pedigree. "I'm very happy to be tapping into the Siyouni bloodline through Paddington. St Mark's Basilica has also made a tremendous start, so it's clearly proving to be a successful sire line. It'll be exciting to see how these horses develop."

For breeders Ian and Mel Heyns, the result represented an outstanding return, while Windsor Park Stud master Rodney Schick said the colt reflected the quality Paddington is consistently producing.
 
"He was a quality colt and very well found, especially considering he was a late addition to the catalogue," Schick said. "He was a lovely-moving horse with plenty of girth, correct conformation and a good head - very typical of the type Paddington is stamping."
 
"We have around 30 Paddington weanlings on the farm and have inspected many more on other properties. We've been extremely impressed by their quality, substance and movement. We expect them to develop into outstanding yearlings that will be well received by the market."
 
The $190,000 sale capped a strong showing for first-season sires at Karaka and reinforced the market's early confidence in Paddington's first southern hemisphere progeny.

Paddington is again very popular with breeders and stands 2026 for a fee of $30,000 + GST with limited spaces left in his book.