The Value Sale of the World

19 January 2016

One of the biggest attractions of New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sales Series is the great value buyers find each year.

Aerovelocity HK Sprint Courtesy Of HKJC

Aerovelocity winning the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint
Photo Courtesy of HKJC

With a combined Sale average of $75,000, the National Yearling Sales Series delivers results that pack plenty of punch with 21 Group 1 winners last season alone.

Last season’s 21 individual Group 1 winners won 25 Group 1 races in five different countries. The total cost of the 21 was just over $3m at an average of $146,056. In total, they have earned over $23m, an average of over $1m each, with purchase prices ranging from just $8,000 through to $700,000.

One of the Group 1 winners was Hong Kong’s Champion Sprinter Aerovelocity (NZ) (Pins) who landed three Group 1 wins last season in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint, Japan’s Group 1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen and Singapore’s Group 1 KrisFlyer Sprint. Purchased for NZ$120,000, he has earned NZ$4,853,279 in prizemoney - a phenomenal 40 times his purchase price for trainer Paul O’Sullivan.

“Karaka is the value sale of the world where you can find a horse of the highest class,” commented O’Sullivan.

Three Group 1 winners during this season’s spring came from the Premier Sale, costing a total of NZ$500,000 at an average of NZ$166,000 yet have combined earnings of over A$7.5m – an average of A$2.5m won by each horse.

History making Group 1 Melbourne Cup winner Prince of Penzance (NZ) (Pentire) cost just NZ$50,000 at the Premier Sale and has earned a staggering A$4.4m – 88 times his purchase price.

The Chris Waller trained Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel), winner of the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes this season, cost NZ$190,000 and has earned over A$1.5m - nearly eight times what his ex-pat kiwi trainer bought him for. Stablemate Kermadec (NZ) (Teofilo), winner of the Group 1 George Main Stakes this season, cost NZ$260,000 and has amassed A$2.5m in stakes - eight times more than his purchase price.

The Select Sale continues to produce Group 1 winners from modest outlays. With a Sale average of around $45,000 each year, there have been 27 Group 1 races won by graduates of the Sale over the past three seasons.

The current season has seen a flying start by Select Sale graduates with Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Emperor) and Tarzino (NZ) (Tavistock) both purchased from the Sale. Together they cost a total of $185,000 and have earned over 35 times that amount.

Multiple Group 1 winner Mongolian Khan has had a brilliant return on investment, after being purchased for NZ$140,000 he has now earned over A$4m, while Group 1 Victoria Derby winner Tarzino cost only NZ$45,000 and has earned over A$1m.

Other examples of brilliant return on investments include Sacred Falls (NZ) (O’Reilly), winner of $4.7m in prizemoney - over 29 times his purchase price of NZ$160,000, and Lucia Valentina (NZ) (Savabeel), a NZ$60,000 purchase that has earned over A$1.6m - 27 times her purchase price.

Dual hemisphere star So You Think (NZ) (High Chaparral) was purchased for just $110,000 at Karaka before winning 10 Group 1 races and earning A$8.9m in prizemoney – over 80 times his purchase price.

New Zealand bred horses are proven Group 1 performers in Australasia but also in Asia.

Along with Aerovelocity, last year’s Singapore Horse of the Year War Affair (NZ) (O’Reilly) was purchased for $90,000 and has earned over $2.5m – 27 times his purchase price.

New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sales Series continues to be the place to find Group 1 winning racehorses at great prices.

New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sales Series takes place on 25 January – 31 January. The Premier, Select and Festival catalogues are available online now or can be requested from [email protected]