Records Tumble at NZB Ready to Run Sale

For a fourth consecutive year the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale set records for a two-year-old sale in Australasia with the average and aggregate both reaching new heights. Recorded today was also the highest price ever achieved by a two-year-old at the NZB Ready to Run Sale. 

Lot 362 made a record price of $525,000 today. Photo courtesy of Trish Dunell

For the first time in the Sale’s history an aggregate of over $20,000,000 has been reached. At the conclusion of the Sale the aggregate had busted through the $20 million mark to be $23,368,500, an increase of 21% from last year’s figure of $19,297,500, with 254 horses sold.

Last year’s milestone average of $80,073 has also been surpassed by this year’s average of $92,002, an increase of 15%. The record prices were accompanied by a very strong clearance rate of 81% compared with 73% last year while the median held solid at $60,000, the same as last year’s record median.

“The Sale has been going from strength to strength recently and this year’s results are phenomenal,” commented NZB’s Managing Director Andrew Seabrook. “To break through the $20 million mark for aggregate is a huge accomplishment. To see both the aggregate and average increase is extremely pleasing and we did it with a very strong clearance rate.

“We also saw a record price today which just adds to what has already been a great Sale.

“There has been a large international buying bench here this week and this shows that the success of the Sale is being recognised around the world. Particular mention has to go to our Hong Kong and Chinese buyers who have been influential at this year's Sale.

“Credit must go to our vendors who are so professional in their selection and preparation of horses for this Sale and they have brought their horses here to meet the demands of the market.”

Along with the record figures, the new record price for the NZB Ready to Run Sale was reached when Lot 362 was knocked down for $525,000 to Jacky Chun Shing of Hong Kong. Offered by Ascot Farm, he was the fastest Breeze Up of the Sale.

It was the first time Mr Chun Shing has been to New Zealand and he was pleased to buy the horse he wanted.

“I wanted to come to Karaka to see the horses and I have found it very interesting,” said Mr Chun Shing. “The money was a little higher than we expected but we still got what we wanted."

The gelding is by O’Reilly and is out of stakes performed mare Miraculous Miss (Exceed and Excel) making him a full-brother to recent stakes winner Celtic Tiger and a half-brother to multiple stakes winner Avisto (Tavistock).

The leading buyer of the Sale was Mr Lang Lin’s Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Group, purchasing 25 horses for $1,837,000 for both Rider Horse China and Rider Horse NZ. Rider Horse purchased the second top lot of the day with Lot 358 knocked down to them for $425,000. The colt is by Fastnet Rock out of a Galileo mare, Memories of You, and was purchased for Mr An Jun, who was present at Karaka, and his brother back in China. Mr An Jun travelled from Inner Mongolia with Mr Lang for the Sale.

“I am here with a large group from China and some of the top horses are going to stay here in New Zealand, some are going to Australia and some are going to China” commented Mr Lang. 

“Mr Yue Sheng Zhang from the Yulong Group, who is one of the biggest buyers from China, attended the Sale and also Mr An Jun, from Inner Mongolia.  Both race horses in Australia and the Fastnet Rock colt purchased by Mr An Jun is also going to Australia.”

Rider Horse was not the only buyer from China active at the Sale with the China Horse Club purchasing five horses for a total of $587,500.

Another record to tumble was the number of horses sold for $300,000 or more with 10 horses reaching that mark, an increase from the six sold last year which was a record in itself. There were also 32 horses that sold for $200,000 or over which is also a record, surpassing the 23 lots that sold for that price or more last year.

Hong Kong was the leading buying bench with 43 horses purchased for $6,783,000, which is over $2,000,000 more than they spent at last year’s Sale. The leading buyer from Hong Kong was trainer Manfred Man who bought three horses for a total of $730,000.

The second leading country by spend was Australia, purchasing the largest number of horses, 61, for a total of $6,693,000. The leading buyer from Australia was Mauro Poletti and Amanda Turner who purchased four horses for a total of $875,000.

Local buyers also purchased 61 horses at the Sale with their spend totalling $3,950,000. The leading kiwi-based buyer was Waikato Bloodstock who purchased four horses for $618,000 for clients in New Zealand and Hong Kong.

The Macau Jockey Club was the second leading buyer, purchasing 21 horses for a total of $1,003,500, utilising the remote auction room in Macau. Other countries to buy at the Sale were Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Korea.

Jeremy Whale’s Diamond Lodge regained the leading vendor by aggregate title they held in 2013, selling 18 of their 21 horses presented for a total of $2,548,500. Their highest price of the Sale came at Lot 395, a colt by Savabeel out of Our Careyes (Sadler’s Wells), who was purchased for $360,000 by New Zealand trainer Lisa Latta.

After a highly successful first day, Prima Park continued their momentum into the second day and finished as the leading vendor by average (three or more sold). Operated by the Van Dyk family, Prima Park sold eight horses for an average of $186,875 with their top lot coming on Day 1 at Lot 184 who fetched $340,000 when purchased by Poletti and Turner.

The leading sire by average (three or more sold) was freshman sire Smart Missile who had all four of his progeny sell at an average of $248,750.

To view the highlights video from Day 2 of the NZB Ready to Run Sale, click here.

Full results from this week’s 2015 Ready to Run Sale can be viewed online. To make enquiries about any Passed Lots visit www.nzb.co.nz. 

2015 Ready to Run Sale Statistics

Top Lots

Leading Purchasers by Aggregate

Leading Vendors by Aggregate

Leading Vendors by Average (three or more sold)

Leading Sires by Average (three or more sold)

*First season sire