NZB Select Sale Holds Firm

30 January 2009

Today saw the third and final day of New Zealand Bloodstock's 2009 Select Sale completed at Karaka, with session results holding firm but buyers selective in their purchasing.

The final sale median of $30,000 was unwavering throughout the past three days, with the clearance rate climbing steadily to 73%, and the final average price of the 681 horses catalogued settling at $37,366.

Total takings for the 456 yearlings sold at this session is $17,039,000 reflecting a 41% decrease from last year's record $28,839,500 for 483 horses sold.

New Zealand Bloodstock Managing Director Petrea Vela says the final results have reflected buyer confidence in the current climate.

�"Although there's been good activity in the ring over the past three days, and the general consensus has been that it's hard to buy a nice horse, this sale has suffered from a lack of buyer confidence to buy on spec in this climate. This session has traditionally been underpinned by pinhookers selecting horses for our Ready to Run Sale in November and while the top horses have sold just as well, without the pinhookers here in force, we've seen a softening of that middle market."

"After experiencing exponential growth here over the past couple of years, the tide has turned in buyers favour and there's a lot of good buying to be had."

Lot-1155

�2009 Select Sale-topper Lot 1155 by Tale of the Cat.

A new session highlight came late in the day, when yesterday's top price of $175,000 (Lot 861) was surpassed by the Tale of the Cat colt at Lot 1155 fetching $205,000. From the unraced Redoute's Choice mare Eyes Light Up, the colt offered by Hallmark Stud was secured by Perth trainer Lindsey Smith.

"I've had a great time over here, the sale was good for buyers and the good horses still sold for good money. I'm a fan of fast horses and I'm happy with the three I've purchased. The Tale of the Cat's an early running type and we'll give him a chance to settle in back home and break him in then map out a plan for him."

With three purchases in total, Smith is joined in the leading buyers tables by fellow Western Australian John Chalmers with eight purchased for $330,500. Other Australian buyers at this session include Kieran Moore, Anthony Cummings, John Foote, Patrick Payne, Danny O'Brien and Johnston Houlahan Bloodstock.

The leading buyer for the Select Sale was Paul Moroney Bloodstock with a total of 21 yearlings purchased for $1,182,000. He has been joined on the buyers' sheets at this Sale by a host of local agents and trainers including David Ellis, Dean Hawthorne, Dean Wiles, Alan Sharrock, Bruce Perry and Andrew Scott, plus international buyers Dan O'Donnell, Magus Equine, Danny Shum and Chun Hung Ngai of Hong Kong, and buyers from England, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and New Caledonia.

Heading the vendors by aggregate was Windsor Park Stud with 39 sold for total receipts of $1,528,500 and their top price coming for their Thorn Park colt at Lot 819. Leading Hong Kong buyer Magus Equine bid to $140,000 to secure the son of Group 1 Thorndon Mile winner Silver Chalice.

Bill Gleeson's Palmerston North operation, Wellfield Lodge was the highest ranking of the vendors by average with eight sold for an average of $79,000 and their Lion Heart filly at Lot 891 topping their draft at $160,000 to the bid of Mike Breslin.

The two-day Festival Sale is set to conclude New Zealand Bloodstock's National Yearling Sales Series starting at 11am on both Sunday 1 and Monday 2 February.

2009 Select Sale Statistics

2009 2008 2007
Average $37,366 $59,709 $49,715
Aggregate $17,039,000 $28,839,500 $21,626,000
Lots Catalogued 681 659 593
Lots Sold 456 483 435
Clearance Rate 73% 79% 81.60%
Median $30,000 $48,000 $42,000
2009 Top Price - Lot 1155 B.C Tale of the Cat x Eyes Light Up $205,000
2008 Select Sale Top Price - Lot 849 B.C Scaredee Cat x My Kinda Girl $300,000
2007 Select Sale Top Price - Lot 600 Br.C No Excuse Needed x Cymbidium $230,000

Top Lots

Lot Type Breeding Vendor Purchaser Price
1155 B.C Tale of the Cat / Eyes Light Up HALLMARK STUD� LINDSEY SMITH RACING (WA) $205,000
861 B.C Pentire / Surreal RICH HILL THOROUGHBREDS� DEAN HAWTHORNE BLOODSTOCK (VIC) $175,000
891 C.F Lion Heart / Three Stars WELLFIELD LODGE MR MP BRESLIN (Palmerston North) $160,000
762 B.C Tale of the Cat / Rizal CURRAGHMORE STUD� MR AJ CUMMINGS (NSW) $150,000
811 C.F Shinko King / Shezabeel WELLFIELD LODGE NEW ZEALAND BLOODSTOCK (NSW) $150,000
819 C.C Thorn Park / Silver Chalice WINDSOR PARK STUD� MAGUS EQUINE (Hong Kong) $140,000
986 B.C O'Reilly / Ashley Downs LITTLE AVONDALE STUD MR JR WHEELER (New Plymouth) $140,000
625 B/Br.F Street Cry / Lowan Behold TWIN PINE THOROUGHBREDS� MR A SCOTT (Matamata) $125,000
888 B.C O'Reilly / The Wake VALACHI DOWNS SHANE MOORE BLOODSTOCK (VIC) $125,000
1153 B.C Pins / Exposed ANCROFT STUD� MR S GRAY (Singapore) $125,000

Leading Purchasers by Aggregate

Purchaser Bought Aggregate Average Top Price
PAUL MORONEY BLOODSTOCK 21 $1,182,000 $56,286 $105,000
NEW ZEALAND BLOODSTOCK (as agent) 21 $739,500 $35,214 $150,000
MR DC ELLIS 13 $659,000 $50,692 $100,000
DEAN HAWTHORNE BLOODSTOCK 5 $399,000 $79,800 $175,000
MR DR WILES 22 $398,500 $18,114 $40,000
MAGUS EQUINE LTD 6 $395,500 $65,917 $140,000
MR A SHARROCK 9 $336,500 $37,389 $100,000
JOHN CHALMERS BLOODSTOCK 8 $330,500 $41,313 $77,500
BRUCE PERRY BLOODSTOCK� 7 $330,500 $47,214 $80,000
MR A SCOTT 5 $327,500 $65,500 $125,000

Leading Vendors by Aggregate

Vendor Sold Aggregate Average Top Price
WINDSOR PARK STUD 39 $1,528,500 $39,192 $140,000
CURRAGHMORE STUD� 17 $907,000 $53,353 $150,000
TWIN PINE THOROUGHBREDS 19 $890,500 $46,868 $125,000
RICH HILL THOROUGHBREDS 17 $880,500 $51,794 $175,000
HALLMARK STUD 9 $663,500 $73,722 $205,000
WELLFIELD LODGE 8 $632,000 $79,000 $160,000
ESKER LODGE� 12 $623,000 $51,917 $100,000
THE OAKS STUD 20 $607,500 $30,375 $90,000
WESTBURY STUD 10 $567,500 $56,750 $110,000
PHOENIX PARK 12 $533,000 $44,417 $82,500
LITTLE AVONDALE STUD 11 $533,000 $48,455 $140,000

Leading Vendors by Average (3 or more sold)

Vendor Sold Average Aggregate Top Price
WELLFIELD LODGE 8 $79,000 $632,000 $160,000
HALLMARK STUD 9 $73,722 $663,500 $205,000
WESTBURY STUD 10 $56,750 $567,500 $110,000
CURRAGHMORE STUD 17 $53,353 $907,000 $150,000
VALACHI DOWNS 5 $52,000 $260,000 $125,000
ESKER LODGE 12 $51,917 $623,000 $100,000
RICH HILL THOROUGHBREDS 17 $51,794 $880,500 $175,000
LITTLE AVONDALE STUD 11 $48,455 $533,000 $140,000
WHITE ROBE LODGE STUD 4 $48,250 $193,000 $100,000
SHELBY PARK 8 $48,125 $385,000 $100,000

Leading Sires by Average

Sire Sold Average Aggregate Top Price
Tale of the Cat 4 $118,000 $472,000 $205,000
Oratorio 3 $78,333 $235,000 $100,000
Storming Home 3 $60,333 $181,000 $90,000
Pentire 17 $60,176 $1,023,000 $175,000
O'Reilly 32 $57,031 $1,825,000 $140,000
Stratum 3 $55,833 $167,500 $100,000
Golan 5 $52,500 $262,500 $92,500
Postponed 12 $48,167 $578,000 $120,000
Cape Cross 3 $47,667 $143,000 $100,000
Zenno Rob Roy 6 $47,167 $283,000 $80,000

Leading First Season Sires

Sire Sold Aggregate Average Top Price
Oratorio 3 $235,000 $78,333 $100,000
Storming Home 3 $181,000 $60,333 $90,000
Stratum 3 $167,500 $55,833 $100,000
Zenno Rob Roy 6 $283,000 $47,167 $80,000
Keeninsky 4 $163,000 $40,750 $80,000
Falkirk 13 $490,500 $37,731 $70,000
St Reims 5 $167,000 $33,400 $55,000
Castledale 3 $100,000 $33,333 $65,000
Dubawi 3 $79,500 $26,500 $52,500
Gold Centre 3 $65,000 $21,667 $30,000

Click here to see the passed in lots.