New Zealand Bloodstock's three-day Select Sale at Karaka drew to a close Friday with figures bettered only by the sale's 2008 renewal. A total of 456 yearlings were sold for NZ$26,326,700, compared to 391 sold for NZ$18,304,000 last year. The buyback rate dropped to 20.9% from 25.4%; the average rose 23% to NZ$57,734 and the median climbed 35.7% to NZ$47,500.
“We were confident we could have a good Select sale off the back of a superb Premier sale, but these results have been better than we ever imagined,” said NZB's Managing Director, Andrew Seabrook. “A true reflection of how strong the sale was is the fact that the median was higher than last year's average. There has not been a negative point to the sale, with all figures increasing and a healthy clearance rate throughout the three days.”
Friday's top lot was a colt from Haunui Farm by its British shuttler Showcasing (GB), who has made a good impression with his first two Southern Hemisphere crops. Lot 1053, a full-brother to the stakes-placed Platinum Express (GB) whose second dam is triple Australian Group 1 winner Burst (Aus) (Marauding {NZ}), was bought by young agent Glen Harvey for NZ$220,000 on behalf of his parents' Ascot Farm and could be re-offered at the Karaka breeze-ups in November.
“Glen picked him out a few days ago and said, 'I've found the horse that I want',” said Glen's father, Bruce Harvey. “He'll come home, we'll break him in and see how we go but the intention is to send him to the Ready to Run Sale.”
Showcasing, who stood at Haunui last year for NZ$10,000, has sired last year's Karaka Million winner Hardline (NZ), Group 2 winner Showboy (NZ) and this year's Karaka 3YO Mile winner Raghu (NZ) from his first crop,
“Showcasing can leave a good horse in New Zealand and Australia and they're performing well,” Harvey added. “His offspring have gone very well in the Karaka Million even though you don't need to rush, because there's now a Karaka Million 3-year-old race. It's nice to know he can leave a good horse that can run.”
The second-highest price of the day was also supplied by a shuttle sire when a Rip Van Winkle (Ire) colt was picked up by NZB as agent for NZ$170,000 from Mapperley Stud.
Seven of the sale's top 10 buyers were New Zealand-based, headed by Paul Moroney, who spent NZ$1,077,500 on 12 horses. Yearlings were bought by buyers from Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, the UK, Ireland, the U.S., Malaysia, Macau, South Africa and Fiji.
The sale's leading sire by average with three or more sold was Savabeel (Aus), with nine sold for an average of NZ$101,667. Showcasing was second with 10 sold for an NZ$98,850 average, and Reliable Man (GB) was the leading first-season sire by average with 24 selling for an NZ$74,042 average. His 13 sold at the Premier sale averaged NZ$168,077.
Westbury Stud was the Select sale's leading vendor with 31 sold for NZ$2,395,000, and Waikato Stud leads all vendors through the Premier and Select sales with 71 sold for NZ$9,689,500.
“We must acknowledge the wonderful vendors that have presented a product that suited the market,” Seabrook said. “New Zealand Thoroughbreds have enjoyed a stellar 12 months on the racetrack and this week's sale success is due reward for breeders.”
The NZB Yearling Sale Series concludes with the Festival Sale Jan. 31.
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