The best bit about selecting a horse which goes on to be a Group One winner is the sheer joy you witness from the connections when that big moment happens.
That was the case yesterday when Pignan (Staphanos) won the $350,000 Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes-Gr.1 for owners David Monnery, Christian Cullen & Andy Rennie. For each person it represented their very first success at the elite level & the excitement/emotion was clear to see.
All the money in the world can't buy that sort of excitement.
I selected Pignan for $15,000 at the 2021 NZB National Weanling Sale. Another selection at the NZB Weanling Sale was the delightful JENNIFER ECCLES ($5,000) who went on to win the 2020 NZ Oaks-Gr.1 along with NZB 3YO Filly of the Year status. She was owned & raced by the Challenge No.10 Syndicate, a group of some 70 owners who came from all walks of life. Jennifer's success changed many of those lives.
Another Gr.1-winning result for me from Karaka was QUINTESSENTIAL ($70,000, 2010 NZB Select Sale). She provided owner Greg Tomlinson with his first Group One winner and I know how much it meant to him at the time.
I'm confident I haven't selected my last Gr.1 winner. I know too that the satisfaction I'll get when that unfolds will be every bit as good as has been the case with Pignan, Jennifer Eccles & Quintessential.
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