Although it has 'little' in its name, Little Avondale, owned by Today, Sam Williams and his wife Catriona, has one of the largest broodmare bands in New Zealand. On his website, Williams says of his farm, "We've added speed to the established bloodlines; we're now looking at those miles (2000m) horses. We recognize the general flow of the market and we want to always be in the top bracket."
During the 2019 Karaka Yearling Sales, Little Avondale bred one of the top-selling horses during Book 1, which is the most premier part of the sale. We speak to Williams about his 2020 draft for the same sale and much more:
Q: Last year your horse was one of the highest-priced horses sold at the Karaka Yearling Sale. What, according to you, is the mix of horses required for a good draft?
A: It's important to love what you are selling and be proud of what you are putting in front of people. It's also important to have a variation of stallion power in your draft but the most crucial point is to be able to forecast a stallion that's going to be popular come sale time because of their current performance on the track. A lot easier said than done!
Q: Please tell us a bit more about your draft and your highlight Lots in terms of pedigree, looks, sire or dam's racing successes etc.
A: Our Book 1 draft is made up of ten yearlings by our residential sire Per Incanto who is leading the New Zealand Premiership for individual winners. We also have six Savabeels as well as yearlings by proven sires Tavistock, Written Tycoon, Piero, Hinchinbrook and also freshman sires Tivaci and Astern.
Two of our standout colts would be LOT 403 the Per Incanto colt out of the dual Group 1 winning mare Xanadu. He's an attractive, loose walking, big strong colt. The other would be LOT 238 another Per Incanto colt out of the Exceed and Excel mare Royal Excess. A very neat, tidy and athletic colt that moves exceptionally well. There are a couple of Per Incanto fillies that I rate highly LOT 22 and 265 who are typical of their Dad in every way but LOT 165 the Written Tycoon filly out of the daughter of the Group 1 winning Savabeel mare Pasadena Girl is a 'must look' for all buyers because she has the page and the looks to go with it.
Q: Which key sires would you say is the highlight of the 2020 Karka Yearling Sale?
A: NZ's Champion sire Savabeel will be to the fore, our sire Per Incanto and Showcasing the last crop will also be in demand from the proven sire ranks. It will also be exciting to see so many new freshman sires featuring at Karaka this year.
Q: Could you please tell us a bit more about your association with this sale? How long have you been showing at the sale and which was the most expensive horse you ever sold at this sale? Where is he or she now and what are his/ her top successes?
A: This is our families 79th year selling at the sale which makes us the oldest commercial stud selling in New Zealand. This is something we are extremely proud of. The most expensive horse we have sold went for $775,000 and was a Savabeel colt out of Generous Nature, named Addictive Nature who was initially trained by one of Sydney's leading trainers Bjorn Baker. He won the Group 3 Ming Dynasty in Sydney and has recently been retired to stud.
Q: Although you have probably sold some very expensive horses in your lifetime, please tell us about the one most expensive horse you have ever sold and where he/ she is right now
A: The stunning I'm invincible filly we sold last year for $500,000 out of the More Than Ready mare Exposed is racing as Baaqyah. She ran second on debut recently for trainer David Hayes in the Listed Maryibymong Plate so we're pretty excited about her future. Her half-sister by Per Incanto also won first-up recently as a 3YO for Melbourne trainer John McArdle.
Q: Which are the sale you attend each year? What is your process of choosing horses for your drafts at various sales?
A: We attend most of the sales in Australasia with the majority being sold here at Karaka. When taking horses to Australia we try to select the right type for that particular sale. This year's draft is easily our biggest and so we have placed them carefully and strategically for the timing of each sale.
Q: With 2020 fast approaching, where do you see LA in the next ten years? And are the top two things on your bucket list to achieve by 2030?
A: LA will have a strong internationally recognized quality broodmare band Our Dubawi stallion, Time Test, that is owned by The English National Stud, and we have the Southern Hemisphere rights to, will be one of Australasia's leading stallions.
We will have added 50 Black-type winners to our Little Avondale 'Reared, Bred or Sold' list A member of the Royal family will have visited as they did in 1974 There'll be an exceptional corporate experience package available. One of our nieces or nephews will have shown interest in Little Avondale
Q: And finally, what is the best book you have read recently and why was it a great read?
A: Andre Agassi Open…I love any sport at the elite level and his book is an easy read because you simply cannot put it down.