NZB Ready to Run Sale a Phenomenal Source of Racetrack Success

8 October 2019

2016 Ready to Run Sale graduate Te Akau Shark (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle)
2016 Ready to Run Sale graduate Te Akau Shark (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle)

The racetrack achievements by graduates of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale of Two-Year-Olds at Karaka sit head and shoulders above any other Sale of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

Over the last decade, the Ready to Run Sale has produced 96 individual stakes winners including 14 at Group One level – the nearest rival produced 37 stakes winners with a single Group One winner during the same time.

Graduates of the Ready to Run Sale have amassed more than $159 million in prizemoney during the 2013 to 2018 seasons, which is $50 million more than the combined earnings from all other two-year-old Sale alumni in Australasia.

The Ready to Run Sale’s honour roll is an outstanding list of top-class performers over a range of distances throughout Australasia and Asia.

Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Emperor), who was bought for $220,000 at the 2013 Ready to Run Sale, was a two-time New Zealand Horse of the Year. In 2015, he became the first horse in history to win the New Zealand Derby (2400m), Australian Derby (2400m) and Caulfield Cup (2400m) in the same year.

The Sale has produced two other New Zealand Derby winners in the last five years – Vin De Dance (NZ) (Roc de Cambes), who cost $70,000 in 2016; and the $42,500 purchase Gingernuts (NZ) (Iffraaj), who also won the Group One Rosehill Guineas (2000m) and Windsor Park Plate (1600m).

Beat The Clock (Hinchinbrook), who was bought for $200,000 at the 2015 Sale, has earned more than HK$34.9 million (NZ$7 million) in a superb sprinting career in Hong Kong. He has scored Group One victories in the Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) and Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m), and placed in five other elite sprints.

Turn Me Loose (NZ) (Iffraaj) cost just $52,500 at the 2013 Sale, and he scored Group One victories in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Emirates Stakes (1600m) and Futurity Stakes (1400m).

The other Group One winners bought from the Ready to Run Sale in the last 10 years are Hall of Fame (NZ) (Savabeel), Dukedom (NZ) (Bachelor Duke), Gaultier (NZ) (Rios), Atlante (Fastnet Rock), Albany Reunion (Fastnet Rock), Sangster (NZ) (Savabeel), Nashville (NZ) (Darci Brahma), Glorious Days (Hussonet) and Shootoff (NZ) (Duelled).

The $90,000 purchase Well Done (NZ) (Falkirk) won the Singapore Derby (2000m) in 2016, while Te Akau Shark (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) is one of New Zealand’s most exciting gallopers. The $230,000 purchase was a six-length winner of last season’s Group Two Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m) and came a brave second at Saturday’s A$1 million Group One Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick.

The Sale unveiled another young age-group star when The Holy One (NZ) (Tavistock) won the A$200,000 Group Two Stutt Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley in late September. He was a $160,000 purchase at the 2018 Ready to Run Sale.

Just last week Surprise Baby (NZ) (Shocking) claimed the A$500,000 Group Three Bart Cummings (2500m) at Flemington. A lost opportunity, Surprise Baby was passed in at the 2016 Ready to Run Sale for only $35,000. After Saturday’s victory, the 5YO gelding has proven that maturity counts, having earned a place in the Group One Melbourne Cup field racing this November.

The 2019 edition of the Ready to Run Sale of Two-Year-Olds will be held at Karaka on 20 and 21 November, with another high-quality catalogue of 414 two-year-olds to go under the hammer.

Every horse entered in NZB’s Ready to Run Sale has the opportunity to Breeze Up with the last 200m of their work filmed and timed. Breeze-Ups are set to be conducted at Te Rapa Racecourse on 21 & 22 October.