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Ciaron Maher secures son of Coolmore Stud sire from draft of Kia Ora.

Earlier in the day the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable flexed their muscles to secure a son of Coolmore's Pierro (Lonhro) out of Ravi (Redoute's Choice), offered as Lot 419 from the draft of Kia Ora Stud, for $1.5 million.

The colt is the second foal out of the Kia Ora Stud-race and Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Ravi who won six times with her biggest victory coming in the 2017 Sheraco Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m). Being out of Mambo In Freeport (Kingmambo), Ravi is a sister to stakes winner and now sire Elzaam. 

"He's a lovely physical," Maher's bloodstock manager Will Bourne said. "He's a Pierro out of a Redoute's mare, who could run herself.

"The Pierro-Redoute's cross has produced three Group One winners from a sample size of about 40 horses. A proven sire, the mare could run and it's a proven cross – it was a real no-brainer for us.

"We loved the colt, we felt that we had a bit of probability in our favour. He's that athletic, I wouldn't put it past him to do it at two, but he'll be doing his best work at three," Bourne continued, adding that they thought they would have to go to that level to secure him.

"Going off the benchmark yesterday of $1.7, that was our benchmark for him. He was a quality colt and one of the proper colts of the sale and that's what the market says," he said.

Ciaron Maher Bloodstock is the leading buyer at the sale so far having spent $9,790,000 on 25 yearlings. At last year's sale, Ciaron Maher Bloodstock spent $11,80,000 on 36 lots during Book 1.