Courtesy The West Australian website:

A SHARE in one of Australasia's most sought-after foals, a half-brother to WA thoroughbred champion Northerly, has been taken by a WA partnership.

Northerly part-owners Ron Sayers, Tony Patrizi and Peter Bartlett ended months of speculation when they signed on a deal to trade their share in Northerly's future earnings for a half share of the Flying Spur colt.

The colt was bred and is owned by Rod Dufficy, brother to former jockey and Sydney racing commentator Ron Dufficy, and Andrew Harcourt.

The foal's other half-brothers include stakes winners North Boy and Northern Song. Northerly is the nation's top stakes-earner with $7.8 million.

The colt was orphaned when his dam North Bell died as a result of complications during the birth.

The WA syndicate reached agreement in principle on the deal on the morning of Northerly's historic Caulfield Cup win on October 19.

Sayers, Patrizi and Bartlett have a quarter share in Northerly. The other part-owners are managing owner Judy Kersley, wife of trainer Fred Kersley, and the gelding's breeders Neville and Sue Duncan. Ian Grljusich is a minor partner.

Sayers said yesterday Dufficy and Harcourt would receive 10 per cent of the three partners' share of Northerly's future prize money but would have no say in the champion's programming.

Sayers visited the colt at Segenhoe Stud in the Hunter Valley yesterday on his way back to Perth after buying three fillies at the Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale last week.

"It might be wishful thinking but to me he looks exactly like Northerly," said Sayers, who owns Yarradale Stud at Gidgegannup.

Dufficy said yesterday the colt, who weighed a whopping 72kg at birth, was perfect.

"He is a real cracker. He was born late and his birth was induced by the vets," he said. "He was born overly big, which is not normally a good sign because they can be too big and bulky.

"But from a month or two after he was born he developed magnificently. He is now a really good, normal-sized horse, who is impossible to fault.

"The guy who looks after him, Brian Gorman, is a pretty good judge and he reckons he can't fault him.

"He is very unlike his brothers and sisters, who had faults."

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