Swettenham Stud

Over the years Trevor McKee estimates he has been left with between twenty and twenty-five horses from failed promises around yearling sales time, but he is not complaining.

Unlike the unfortunate $11million debt that threatened to lower the colours of Bart Cummings when he was landed with a heap of yearlings back in 1987, McKee has been happy to keep those he was left with, as he liked the horses he bought, and the results have been favourable.

The most recent in the category is Adaline (3 Br. F. Court Of Jewels – Red Covet, by St Covet), who turned the tables on star filly Katie Lee (Pins) after running second to her in Eight Carat on Boxing Day, to win the $100,000, Group II, New Zealand Bloodstock Royal Stakes, over 2000 metres for three-year-old fillies at Ellerslie on January 1.

McKee purchased Adaline from the draft of Seaton Park at the 2008 New Zealand Bloodstock Select Yearling Sale for $28,000, along with a filly by Keeper (Danehill) for $30,000, on behalf of an interested party, but the deal fell through. The Keeper filly, named Ballroom, has won once from five starts.

Others McKee had acquired by the same means have included two group one winning two-year-olds, Moonshine (Sound Reason) and more recently Kaaptan (Kaapstad).

McKee said Adaline was a ‘beautiful yearling and a pleasure to do anything with’, and he liked the sire, Court Of Jewels, because he is by Danehill (Danzig) out of Nine Carat (Sir Tristram – Eight Carat, by Pieces Of Eight).

Court Of Jewels was an $800,000 yearling that won as a two-year-old, was a listed winner and group three placed in Australia, and stands at Swettenham Stud near Seymour in Victoria.

Adaline is from his first crop.

From the perfect one out and one back position, rider Leith Innes let the brakes go on Adaline at the 300 metres and she kept finding to comfortably hold a late challenge from Katie Lee by half a length.

Off a moderate pace that produced a time of 2:06.79, with the leaders coming home the last 600 metres in a swift 34.43, the performance by Katie Lee to finish second, from last of nine at the 600 metres, was meritorious.

Impressive last start winner La Collina (Van Nistelrooy) proved up to the task by finishing half a length away in third.

Veronica Franco (Johar) who toppled Katie Lee in the Eulogy Stakes at Awapuni recently, finished fourth.

Trained by Stephen McKee at Ardmore in Auckland, Adaline has now won three of her eight starts for stakes of $103,000, with McKee suggesting she is likely to attempt the Sir Tristram Fillies Classic at Te Rapa and the New Zealand Oaks at Trentham in the near future.