‘I’ve never been so nervous in my life’

Slot auction for The NZB Kiwi sets off fireworks in exciting evening for New Zealand racing

Set to be held on the newly established ‘Champions Day’ at Ellerslie, The NZB Kiwi is a 1500-metre race restricted to New Zealand-bred three-year-olds and will carry stakes prize-money of at least NZ$3.5 million in its first year, increasing to NZ$4.5 million by 2027, making it the richest race in the southern hemisphere for the age group.

In what proved to be a fast-paced, nerve-fuelled bidding process, the highly anticipated auction saw slots bought for no less than NZ$675,000, despite the reserve coming in far lower at $450,000.

Kicking off the bidding, and setting the tempo for what was to come, Singaporean businessman John Chew’s bid of NZ$725,000 not only saw him secure the opening slot, but also landed him top honours in the bidding department at the end of proceedings.

No sooner had the docket been presented to connections of the winning bidder, the hunt for the second slot began, with Clotworthy Racing coming out on top for a price of NZ$675,000.

Shortly after the auction ended, it was revealed that trainer Shaun Clotworthy had teamed up with bloodstock agent Kerri Spence to secure slot number two, getting together ten participants who will work as a syndicate.

“We started thinking about it at the White Robe Lodge tent at the Karaka Sale,” Spence said. “We decided, how can we get a slot? So Shaun and I set up a strategy together and we got ten people involved in it.

Catch all the live action for The NZB Kiwi Slot Auction and Trackside NZ Derby Barrier Draw held at Karaka from 5.30pm onwards on Tuesday 27 February, with a cash bar and food available for GA.

Full coverage is available to view on Trackside 1 and TAB’s Facebook from 7PM. 👀 pic.twitter.com/9DxplD7VRk

— LOVERACING.NZ (@LOVERACINGNZ) February 25, 2024

“The good thing about our slot is that we are independent, so anyone could come to us with their horse. We will be sitting down and having a team meeting before setting a strategy from there.”

Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott’s Wexford Stables were the third party to grab a slot, the Group 1-winning pair going to NZ$700,000 to get their names on the board.

Next it was the turn of Daniel Nakhle, who secured slot number four for a price of NZ$675,000. The prominent owner-breeder will be hoping to find a horse in a similar vein to that of his New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) hero Crocetti (Zacinto).

“We had a good chat with Chris and Sarah Green and Ger Beemsterboer from Barneswood [Farm], and also Darren Brady who is a good friend of mine, and we thought we needed to be a part of it,” Nakhle said.

“I haven’t even looked [for a horse]. We’ll look close to home for the first instance but will also put the word out and hopefully something lands in our lap to play with in 12 months time.”

All-conquering syndicate Te Akau Racing were sure to be involved during the auction, and they played their hand for slot number five, with principal David Ellis also going to NZ$675,000 to land the winning bid.

“I’ve never been so nervous in my life,” a relieved David Ellis told ANZ Bloodstock News. “I just take my hat off to Entain, New Zealand Bloodstock and New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing for putting on the most incredible night at the Karaka that we’ve ever had in New Zealand. It is really exciting to be able to buy a slot.”

With the auction being the first of its kind in New Zealand, it seemed plenty of potential buyers were unsure of just how much a slot would cost, and Ellis revealed he was surprised at the scale of money being bid.

“I thought the prices were slightly higher than what I expected,” he said. “But it’s such a good deal for a stable like Te Akau because we’ll have some nice types for the race.

“I’ve been buying horses for 40 years and it’s the most exciting time I’ve ever had in New Zealand racing and we’re delighted to be a part of it.”

Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m)–winning owner Ozzie Kheir had already made his intentions on buying a slot known prior to yesterday’s sale, and the Australian native did not disappoint, securing the sixth slot of the evening for NZ$700,000.

Having announced the creation of The NZB Kiwi in partnership with NZTR and TAB NZ, betting giant Entain made their presence felt during the auction, with managing director of Entain New Zealand Cameron Rodger going to NZ$700,000 to grab a place in the feature concept.

Rodger told ANZ Bloodstock News: “We never dreamed they’d go for that kind of average. We had to do about four emergency budget increases to get our spot!

“We thought they may hit around the NZ$550,000 mark, so we very quickly got above that from the first slot. Hopefully it made for good viewing.”

Rodger revealed he had been given the instruction to land a slot before the final three remaining, so had been slightly feeling the pressure before securing Entain’s place as number seven.

“The only instructions I had were don’t be in the last three, so it was a big relief to get one,” he said. “Every slot is the same and you know there are still some left to get on the board. It was a real thrill to be honest.

“This was an NZTR-led initiative and we supported it from the start. We thought a slot race down here in New Zealand was a good idea for a while, and having that Kiwi three-year-old condition as well, it showcases that age group down here but it will also mean that new talent comes along each year.”

Touching on what seemed a fast-paced environment for the sale, Rodger said: “People don’t need to hear a million words that they already know, you may as well just get on with it and make the entertainment package quite tight and concise.

“It was almost blink and you miss it stuff but they followed the brief perfectly at the auction. It was also really cool to see some of the retired horses in the ring, it was just a good initiative and really well run by the team.”

Slot eight went the way of Andrew Forsman, who secured his place for NZ$675,000, and the Cambridge-based trainer was delighted to be a part of the action, even if he did reveal some luck may have been involved.

“I was just waving the paddle around hoping I’d land on the right number!” Forsman said. “It will be under Forsman Racing. We have a good group of owners that race a lot of horses between them, so hopefully we can come up with one good enough.”

Yesterday’s final slot was snapped up by Cambridge Stud’s Brendan and Jo Lindsay, with the pair paying NZ$700,000 to secure their name on the final holders board, and Brendan admitted he was slightly surprised to secure the lot without too much competition.

“We would’ve gone a bit higher for sure, with our mind being set on buying the final slot,” he said. “Jo and I had to be a part of it, and we knew we wanted to get slot nine no matter what happened, last in, first out!

“I think it’s just fabulous. There is NZ$3.5 million in prize-money for this, New Zealand hasn’t seen anything like this before.”

With the close of sale, all nine slots sold for an aggregate of NZ$6.225 million, with an average price of $691,667, and a median of $700,000.

Having made a total of 14 slots available for the contest, the final five places have been purchased previously by the Auckland Thoroughbred Racing, Waikato Thoroughbred Racing, RACE, and the Canterbury Jockey Club, with NZTR having retained one slot for sale or use at a later date.

“Tonight exceeded all expectations and sets a new standard for the New Zealand racing industry,” NZTR chief executive Bruce Sharrock said.

“The best part was how excited our participants and stakeholders are and it sets us up extremely well for the future.”