Lot 395 Snitzel (AUS) - Festivity (NZ) bay or brown Colt

Lot 395 bay/brown colt Snitzel – Festivity (I Am Invincible) - draft: Yarraman Park

NOTE: this colt is one of two colts comprising our Te Akau 2025 Magic Colt Partnership - a share must also be purchased in Lot 115, not in the colts individually.

Te Akau principal David Ellis CNZM bought Festivity for $410,000 as a yearling at the 2018 Karaka Book 1 Sale, from draft of Windsor Park Stud, and she was owned by Te Akau 2018 Fabulous Fillies Breeding Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM).

He has now bought her first foal.

Good from the outset, Festivity won a trial by nearly eight lengths before racing away to win on debut over 1100 metres. She continued to create a smart race record of six wins (five at 1200m) from 13 starts, including valuable success in the Hallmark Stud Handicap (Listed, 1200m) at Ellerslie.

She then ended her career with a close second in the Concorde Handicap (Gr. 3, 1200m) at Ellerslie.

The colt is by four-time Champion Sire in Australia, and four-time Champion Two-Year-Old Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), one of three in the trilogy of breed shaping champion stallions in Australia, along with Danehill (Danzig), and Redoute’s Choice (Danehill), and stands at Arrowfield Stud for $247,500 + GST.

Festivity is by Australian Champion Sire for the past three years I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), currently second in the General Sires’ List, the leading Australian stallion in the TRC Global Sire Rankings, and stands for a service fee of $275,000 at Yarraman Park Stud.

I Am Invincible is also the sire of Imperatriz, whom Ellis purchased in 2020 at the Gold Coast. The winner of 10 Group One races, the most for her sire, Imperatriz is the current New Zealand Horse of the Year and Champion Sprinter in Australia. Retired and sold in June last year for $6.6 million, she became the highest priced filly or mare ever sold in the Southern Hemisphere.

The dam of Festivity, Mabsam, was a debut winner over 1000 metres, winning to a mile, by a Golden Slipper (Gr. 1, 1200m) winning son of Redoute’s Choice, Stratum, and she left five individual winners of 17 races.

Adding to a stellar pedigree, third dam Gypsy Dollar is by Champion Sire Zabeel (Sir Tristram), sire of the most stakes winners in NZ history and a massive asset in any pedigree.

‘It’s a family we rate very highly and by buying and training Festivity we know exactly what sort of filly she was,’ Ellis said.

‘It’s very exciting to able to buy her first foal. We love buying first foals and have had an incredible amount of success by applying that approach.

‘He’s a beautiful colt, stamped in his physique by both the sire and the dam, and she (Festivity) really has left a cracker, first-up.

‘We think he has the makings of a Christmas two-year-old and a speedy three-year-old.’

The colt has a lovely cross of Champion Sire Redoute’s Choice (Danehill), as the sire of Snitzel and through the dam line of Festivity, as the sire of Stratum. He also has a cross of Golden Slipper (Gr. 1, 1200m) winner Canny Lad (Bletchingly).

This includes pedigree research/analysis & sale expenses at cost, as well as full pre purchase veterinary inspection & x-ray examination. Your share of post-sale transport, Magic Millions' Series and Pearl Bonus Series (fillies only) entry, insurance, post-sale shoe removal & drench additional. Ongoing costs per month approx. $500 +GST per 10% share. Full disclosure document available on request. Note - share prices stated are NZD and are GST exclusive.