Murray Baker stepped in to help his absent son snare a top lot at Karaka on Thursday.
The Group One-winning Cambridge trainer went to $425,000 on the final day of NZB’s Ready to Run Sale to secure a Fastnet Rock two-year-old out of Lyndhurst Farm’s consignment.
Passed in at the NZB Premier Yearling Sale earlier this year when bidding stalled shy of his $275,000, he had no trouble making his money this time around.
The colt was bought for Chinese owner Mr Z. An, who has four horses in work at Baker junior’s Warwick Farm Stables.
“He loves the horse and this is the second one has bought at the sale,” An said through translator Victoria Wang.
They include the handy New Zealand-bred three-year-old Gold Ambition, who is the lightly-raced winner of one race and he has placed in the Gr.3 Spring Stakes.
His future stablemate is a brother to the smart filly Special Memories, a dual winner for trainers Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards and a last-start fourth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas.
Their dam is the Galileo mare Memories Of You and she is a half-sister to the Gr.1 French 1000 Guineas winner Matiara and the Gr.2 Richmond Stakes winner Pyrus, who stood at stud for a period in New Zealand.
