MARK BUYS $100,000 FILLY AT KARAKA
Burnham trainer Mark Jones outlaid $100,000 to secure La Rosa, a yearling sister to Group One-placed 3YO filly Buzinga (p3, 1:56.8), and two-year-old Young Guns Heat place-getter Dr Susan (1;57.2), at NZ Bloodstock’s National Standardbred Yearling Sale at Karaka on Monday, February 18, 2019.
By champion sire Bettor’s Delight, La Rosa is just the third foal from Safedra (p3, 1:56.3), who numbered a win in the Group Two 2013 Southland Oaks among her 10 wins from 48 starts for $135,577 in stakes.
Safedra (by Mach Three) also chase home champion filly Adore Me in the 2013 New Zealand Oaks at Addington at Group One level when prepared by one of Mark’s old bosses in Cran Dalgety.
Mark Jones scores one of his big driving wins with La Rosa’s grand-dam (The) Sparks A Flyin in the 2001 Australasian Breeders Crown 3YO Fillies Final at Moonee Valley, Melbourne.
Mark reined Safedra’s dam (The) Sparks A Flyin to Group One wins in the 2001 Australasian Breeders Crown 3YO Fillies Final at Moonee Valley, and the Nevele R Fillies Final, when driving for the Dalgety stable, and that filly’s owners, Jim and Susan Wakefield.
Sparks A Flyin was a top international winner, pacing 1:52 in the USA and retiring a winner of 21 races for the equivalent of $NZ627,218.
She was also a consistently successful broodmare, with her first six foals to race, all good winners, namely Bettor’s Fire (1:52.6, 45 wins & $845,437), (My) Alpha Rock (1:49.5, Aust, 16 wins & $166,014), Art Union (1:55.6, 17 wins & $210,120 including a Victoria Derby Heat), (Dominating) Diomedes (1:57.5, Aust, 12 wins & $87,994), Empyrean (1:56.2, 10 wins & $121,302) and Safedra.
Mark had one drive behind Bettor’s Fire in the early stages of that horse’s strong career, running second on the grass at Methven.
This is also the family of another big international winner in Bettor Rock On (1:50, US, 32 wins & $464,141.
La Rosa was offered by Southland breeders, Taffy Ltd, who secured her purchased her in 2017, after Chrissie Dalgety, wife of Cran Dalgety, bred earlier Bettor’s Delight sisters, Buzinga and Dr Susan, from Safedra.