Peter Corbett has come to the end of a special journey with his multiple stakes-winning stayer Dee And Gee (Darci Brahma), who played a starring role with a sale-topping price of $105,000 in the 2022 National Broodmare and Stallion Share Sale on Gavelhouse Plus on Wednesday night.
The durable eight-year-old was retired from the racetrack this month after a successful career, and was purchased by John Cordina who raced the Rich Hill Stud-based stallion Ace High and retains a number of shares in the dual Group One-winning son of High Chaparral.
“I have been seeking some well credentialed New Zealand mares to send to Ace High this coming season, so Dee and Gee will visit him along with Honfleur who I purchased from the Valachi Downs Dispersal,” Cordina said.
Dee And Gee was a $16,000 yearling purchase at Karaka in 2015 by Shaune Ritchie, and she began her career with four starts from his Cambridge stable. But that was only the beginning for Dee And Gee, who went to another level after travelling south to join the Timaru stable of Corbett and his late partner Terrill Charles.
From 61 career starts, Dee And Gee won eight races, along with nine placings and a total of $449,385 in stakes.
Her biggest triumphs came in the Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) and Listed Metropolitan Trophy (2500m), and she also placed in the Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m) and three other stakes races, along with a fourth in the Gr.1 Auckland Cup (3200m) in 2019.
But that only scratches the surface of the story of Dee And Gee, who meant an enormous amount to both Corbett and Charles while the latter fought a brave battle with brain cancer.
“She’s been such a lovely mare to us,” Corbett said.
“When my partner was alive, she gave us so many amazing thrills and great moments. I think, in some ways, this horse actually kept her alive, and she always told me to sell her when we came to the end of her racing career. That’s what we’ve been able to do tonight, so it’s very special.
“She’s finished her racing career perfectly sound, and she was easily sound enough to have another season of racing. I put a reserve of $100,000 on her tonight, and if I didn’t get that, I would have held on to her and kept racing her for another year. But I’m really happy with the result, and I’m sure she’s going to make a lovely broodmare for someone.
“I never really wanted to keep her and breed from her myself – I’ve been down that road often enough with other horses before. I wanted to give someone else the opportunity to take over and hopefully enjoy some more of the great success with her that I’ve had.”
The National Broodmare and Stallion Share Sale concluded with an aggregate of $875,701, an average price of $17,171 and a median of $10,500.
"This is just the second year we have held this sale and it is cementing its place in the calendar while vendors work out what mares are best suited to this format and where they sit in the market," gavelhouse.com General Manager Haylie Martin said.
"With almost $10 million traded on stock in the recent Valachi Downs Dispersal Sales, it was always going to be interesting to see what was left to go around and it was pleasing there was good competition on many lots and especially the younger mares tonight."
Focus now turns to a 57 Lot mixed auction currently live which is set to close from 7pm on Monday.
-NZ Racing Desk
