Signs positive ahead of ‘quality’ Ready To Run Sale
Buyers and vendors hope to keep momentum going after last year’s recording-breaking edition
After a fruitful few months on the track for New Zealand Bloodstock (NZB) Ready To Run Sale graduates, confidence from both sides of the bench is high ahead of this year’s edition which begins its two-day run in Karaka on Wednesday.
This year’s renewal has a hard act to follow, coming off the back of a record-breaking 2023 which saw numbers smashed across the board. The total aggregate increased by 39 per cent to over NZ$35.1 million and no less than 12 lots selling for NZ$500,000 or more. Meanwhile, the average closed at NZ$156,031, an increase of 21 per cent on the figure recorded at the 2022 edition of the sale.
Kane Jones, New Zealand Bloodstock’s sales manager, told ANZ Bloodstock News, that while it will be a hard task to top last year’s results, the auction house believe they have a high-class group of juveniles assembled, 404 before withdrawals, which they are expecting to be well-received by both the domestic and international buyers, who have been perusing the sales ground in search of the next star graduate.
The 2024 Ready to Run Sale catalogue features the progeny of 101 of the biggest names in not just the stallion ranks of Australasia, but globally, including sons and daughters of proven sires such as Savabeel (Zabeel), I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), Deep Field (Northern Meteor), Proisir (Choisir), Toronado (High Chaparral) and Written Tycoon (Iglesia), to name a small few.
“This year’s sale is especially strong sire–wise, apart from the local sires such as Savabeel, Proisir and Per Incanto, the Deep Fields, I Am Invincibles and Toronados will be much sought after,” Jones said.
“Whether we can match last year remains to be seen as 2023 was an exceptional sale but the signs are good.”
Bryce Tankard of Waikato Bloodstock believes NZB have compiled the strongest sale for a number of years and expects the results to reflect that.
“This is a strong sale, maybe the strongest on paper I have seen. There are some really nice horses here. It would seem that the vendors have taken their success from last year and reinvested. It should be a good sale,” he said.
Meanwhile, Riverrock Farm’s Chad Ormsby said that the record-breaking sale last year has given the vendors confidence to re-invest, which has led to another strong catalogue.
“It’s the best Ready to Run catalogue ever – it’s very strong. After last year’s sale vendors have the confidence to buy big and there the catalogue is as strong as it is,” he said.
In the space of 12 months, the auction’s reputation has been added to courtesy of Warmonger (War Decree), the runaway winner of last season’s Queensland Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) and Megastar Heart (Star Turn), last year’s top lot who lived up his NZ$825,000 price-tag when triumphing in June’s Oxlade Stakes (Listed, 1300m) at Eagle Farm.
In the last few weeks, the sale has been thrust into the spotlight once again due to the exploits of Group 1-winning miler graduates Antino (Redwood), Ceolwulf (Tavistock) and Mr Brightside (Bullbars), who were all sourced at the sale.
Agent Phill Cataldo said: “I hope to buy a few but there will be plenty of competition. The sale has a terrific history which explains why so many good judges are here.
“It’s a top catalogue with a lot of nice two-year-olds. I looked at one draft earlier and they have more than several outstanding lots. I reckon they will have a great sale.”
The sale has been a happy hunting ground for Asian jurisdictions recently. In 2023, buyers from Hong Kong spent over NZ$16.5 million on 69 lots, making up a huge 47.5 per cent of the market share.
Hong Kong’s marquee pair of Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro) and Lucky Sweynesse (Sweynesse) were both bought at the sale for NZ$300,000 and NZ$90,000 respectively, graduates which no doubt add to the sale’s appeal for buyers from the jurisdiction.
However, while this auction has been an important buying ground for Hong Kong-based buyers, the domestic and Australian market is still key and Kane said he was pleased to see a big contingent from not only Hong Kong, but also Australia, including Mick Price, co-trainer of the aforementioned Warmonger, who was bought at the 2022 edition of NZ$165,000.
“The signs are good as there are more Hong Kong trainers here than last year. You can’t get a room anywhere locally. Sunday was busy whereas yesterday [Monday] was a shade quiet, probably because buyers would be travelling,” he said.
“This morning [Tuesday] will see more activity for sure. Already I have seen agents John Foote and Dean Hawthorne here. Mick Price was up and about early too and I expect the numbers will build during today [Tuesday]. Mick Price’s attendance is a key indicator as he is a strong supporter of the sale and its concept.”
Leading agent Bruce Perry believes that, such is the importance of Hong Kong-based buyers, their activity will set the standard for the auction.
“Buyers from Hong Kong will probably determine how the sale finishes up and the sires that they like are well represented,” he said. “It will be difficult competing in that market so agents and trainers may have to look elsewhere.
“It is a quality catalogue and vendors have done a good job of building on their successful 2023 sale.”
The quickest breeze was clocked by a colt by Yarraman Park’s marquee stallion I Am Invincible and he is one of the lots touted to turn heads when he sells towards the end of the session on Wednesday.
Offered by Kiltannon Stables, the colt is out of New Zealand-bred Shillelagh (Savabeel), winner of two Group 1s in Australia and she has already produced a winner in the shape of Irish Legacy (I Am Invincible), who has also been placed a Group 3 level in New Zealand.
Catalogued as Lot 174, the colt was passed after failing to make his $420,000 when offered by Segenhoe Stud at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale earlier in the year. He stopped the clock at a super slick 9.97 seconds, the only juvenile catalogued to go under the ten–second barrier.
The colt is part of a strong draft of ten for Mark and Lorraine Forbes’s Kiltannon Stables and the latter told NZB that she was hoping the draft would attract the attention of buyers from Australia.
“That one in particular really impressed us on breeze-up day,” she said. “But we’ve got a couple of other really nice colts and also some lovely fillies that we’re hoping will attract the Australian market. The success of Ready to Run horses over there at the moment has been encouraging.”
Riversley Park has been the Ready to Run Sale’s leading vendor by aggregate for each of the last seven years and their notable graduates include Golden Sixty and Antino.
Last year Sam Beatson’s operation sold 26 lots for an aggregate of NZ$5.335 million, recording an average of NZ$205,194 and it looms as a major player again this week with 44 two-year-olds set to go through the ring over the two days of trade.
Beatson told ANZ he had been pleased with the amount of foot traffic ahead of the sale.
“Sunday, we had a lot of parades but yesterday [Monday] was a bit quieter. The usual people are here so we’ll see how it goes. We have a solid draft so we’ll see how it all unfolds,” he said.
A notable member of the Riversley draft is Lot 88. The colt is by three-time Hong Kong champion sire Deep Field, while his unraced dam My Goodness (Lonhro) is a half-sister to dual Hong Kong Horse of the Year Fairy King Prawn (Danehill). The colt clocked 10.50 seconds for his breeze-up.
“The Deep Field and Fairy King Prawn factors have created a fair bit of Hong Kong interest in that horse,” Beatson said. “He’s a lovely looking colt and has a lot going for him. He’s been very popular and very busy here at the complex.
“Another member of the draft that I really like is the Proisir gelding, who I think has a lot of quality.”
Catalogued as Lot 79, the colt stopped the clock at 10.31 seconds for his breeze and he is out of a a half-sister to the dam of the Ciaron Maher-trained Gringotts (Per Incanto), winner of the $3 million Big Dance (1600m) on November 5. The son of Per Incanto (Street Cry) will be out to pocket another big payday when he takes his chance in The Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange this weekend.
“But overall, it’s a very even draft and hard to pick standouts,” Beatson said. “Out of the 44, I think we’ve got at least 40 very nice horses. That’s a good position to be in.”
For the first time in a number of years, the catalogue features a draft of five horses offered by the Chittick family’s Waikato Stud.
The consignment features three by their marquee sire Savabeel, a gelding by their burgeoning young stallion Super Seth (Dundeel) and a gelding by the operation’s consistent stalwart Ocean Park (Thorn Park), who was provided with his his 22nd individual stakes winner last weekend courtesy of Mystic Park’s Stewards Stakes (Listed, 1200m) win.
“We have the facilities and the staff to prepare two-year-olds, but over the last few years we have had Jamie Beatson of Ohukia Lodge do everything. This year Jamie did the ground work and the breeze–ups then we put on the finishing touches at the stud,” said Waikato’s Nora Walsh.
“We have our own track so it’s a good experience for the staff then, once the Ready to Run is over we go full ahead into the yearlings.”
Clocking a time of 10.43 seconds, the gelding by Super Seth was the quickest of the Waikato’s trio to breeze. Offered as Lot 330, the youngster is the third foal out of dual Group 2 winner Coldplay (Savabeel).
Both Wednesday and Thursday’s sessions begin at 11am (NZT). Click here to view the catalogue.