Southern Vendors Gear Up for South Island Sale

New Zealand Bloodstock's South Island Sale of Two-Year-Olds & Mixed Bloodstock (10 August) is now just over three weeks away and vendors are busy getting their untried two-year-olds ready for this unique Sale.

Featuring a catalogue of 154 two-year-olds plus three broodmares, three yearlings and two unraced horses, the South Island Sale offers the progeny of some of New Zealand's leading sires, which will be offered by a good mixture of northern and southern vendors.

The leading vendor by aggregate at the South Island Sale for the last seven years, Edwina Morris and Alan Jones' Berkley Stud draft is always highly anticipated. The 2012 Sale will see the Christchurch based stud offer the largest draft with 19 two-year-olds in their consignment.

Coats Choice has 16 two-year-olds in the South Island Sale

"We are very pleased with the draft, they are coming along nicely and there is a horse to suit all buyers," commented Edwina Morris. "We have some nice two-year-olds by leading sires including O'Reilly, Pentire and Stravinsky and 11 two-year-olds by Coats Choice who stands at Berkley Stud."

A son of Redoute's Choice, Coats Choice's dam is a half-sister to the Golden Slipper winner and sire Catbird and he has made a good start to his stud career siring his third stakes winner this season in Natuzzi and the equal top lot at the 2012 Karaka Festival Sale.

"Coats Choice is doing a great job," said Edwina. "He has had some good winners abroad with B Choice winning his debut very impressively in Hong Kong before he was injured at his second start.

"In Singapore Coats Choice has been represented with Full Toss who claimed his second victory in June at Kranji and is proving a consistent performer. In Macau Legal Lord won his debut earlier this month and he has a very impressive horse heading to Hong Kong in Joyful the Great who won his only start in New Zealand by three-and-a-half lengths."

Included in Berkley Stud's draft for the South Island Sale is a full brother to the dual stakes winner Milo (Coats Choice) who won the Dunedin and Gore Guineas last season.

"He's a standout, a fantastic type. He has a very good temperament and is a good moving horse which is typical of Coats Choice's progeny. The gelding out of Cashel Belle (Slavic) is a big strong individual and he will also be popular."

Other highlights in Berkley Stud's draft include:

• Lot 49, the gelding by Stravinsky from the Group 2 City of Auckland Cup winning mare Highflying(Entrepreneur).
• Lot 68, a brother to the triple stakes winning filly and New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year Ombre Rose (O'Reilly) and half-brother to 10-time Australian winner Crabs (Danasinga).

Based in the deep south in Dunedin - Otago, Brian and Lorraine Anderton's White Robe Lodge has had a successful season with their resident sire Gallant Guru (Montjeu) siring his first stakes winner Ortem Fire who won the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Stakes.

Trained by Brian & Shane Anderton, Ortem Fire was also stakes placed in the Warstep Stakes and Southland Guineas and was crowned the 2012 New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year.

Gallant Guru, sire of 2012 NZB Southern Filly of the Year Ortem Fire

White Robe Lodge has a draft of 12 two-year-old colts heading for the South Island Sale and all are by their resident sire Gallant Guru. A son of the champion sire Montjeu, Gallant Guru was a dual stakes winner at three and won the Group 2 Sandown Classic at four.

"He has made a good start to his stud career siring his first stakes winner this season and he also had a trial winner in Singapore last week," said Brian Anderton.

"I have got a number of Gallant Guru's progeny in my stable and they are lovely horses to work with and everyone who is training his progeny are saying the same thing.

"All the two-year-olds in our draft are by Gallant Guru this year and they are all very nice horses with plenty of scope and we are very happy with them.

White Robe Lodge will offer three two-year-olds from the family of dual Group 1 winner Prized Gem (Prized). Gallant Guru's sire Montjeu has had success with the family siring Prized Gem's son Nom de Jeu who won the Group 1 AJC Derby and is now standing at stud.

Other highlights in White Robe Lodge's draft include:

• Lot 82, the three-quarter brother to the stakes winner and this year's New Zealand Bloodstock Southern Filly of the Year Ortem Fire(Gallant Guru).
• Lot 102, the colt from the Group 3 placed Group 1 performer Personal Column (Personal Escort).

The South Island Sale catalogue can be viewed on the iPad sales catalogue application. To download the free application, click here. To view the catalogue online, click here.

New Zealand Bloodstock's South Island Sale of Two-Year-Olds & Mixed Bloodstock will be held at Christchurch's Canterbury Agricultural Park on Friday 10 August from 11am. To order a copy of the catalogue or for accommodation inquiries, please contact New Zealand Bloodstock.