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Weanling buy an inspired purchase
Paul Vettise, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • August 3rd, 2026 3:32 pm
Shalabiya winning on debut at Ruakaka on Saturday | Photo: Therese Davis (Race Images)
Rewards from a relatively modest outlay for a Shinko King weanling more than a decade ago continue to flow for prominent breeder and owner Daniel Nakhle.
In 2005, he outlaid $8,500 to secure Irish Colleen, who won on seven occasions including success in the Gr.2 Concorde Handicap (1200m), with her granddaughter Shalabiya the latest success story for the family.
Trained by Danny Walker and Aaron Tata, the Brazen Beau filly romped to an impressive debut victory at Ruakaka on Saturday to put her in line for a crack at stakes company.
“We bought Irish Colleen at the Fayette Park dispersal sale, and she’s been a wonderful broodmare and racehorse,” Nakhle said.
She has produced the multiple Group Three winner Crosshaven, who was sold to Lindsay Park at Karaka for $80,000 with Nakhle remaining in the ownership group, and likewise Killarney.
He was a $115,000 graduate and was a multiple winner for Roger James and Robert Wellwood before claiming the Gr.3 White Robe Lodge Stakes (1600m) from John and Karen Parsons’ stable.
Shalabiya is out of Irish Colleen’s daughter Gracehill, who is by O’Reilly, and was successful twice from a handful of starts for James.
She is also the dam of stablemate Crocetti, Nakhle’s Gr.1 Railway (1200m) and Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner.
A Proisir filly out of Gracehill failed to meet her $400,000 reserve at Karaka earlier this year and will also be raced by Nakhle.
“I was always a bit 50-50 about selling her and she has broken in well and she’ll be going to Roger and Robert,” he said.
“She’s sitting in our paddock at the moment and we’ll give her a bit of time being a November foal.”
Both Gracehill and Irish Colleen are in foal to Super Seth with future breeding plans for the pair yet to be decided.
“With Gracehill, a bit of that will be based on Shalabiya in the next couple of weeks, we are looking at Proisir certainly but haven’t made a firm decision at this point,” Nakhle said.
He was referring to how Shalabiya fares in her next start in a return trip to Ruakaka for the Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).
“That’s the plan all going well, she pulled up well after her first run and fingers crossed that’s where she’ll head,” Nakhle said.
“Irish Colleen had a Proisir colt last year and he’ll go to the NZB Sale in January, we’ll see how she foals this time.
“She’s in absolutely magnificent order, but she does put a lot into her foals and she may be deserving of a year off. She’s been a very kind mare and the last thing we want to do it push her too far.”
