Australians fly in search of pinhook candidates at NZB National Weanling Sale
For the first time in about 15 months, Australian buyers have made the most of a trans-Tasman travel bubble, heading overseas in search of trading opportunities at today’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale.
NZB sales manager Danny Rolston revealed the company “worked pretty hard to get a bigger catalogue than what we ended up with numbers wise” but believes the quality of the offering cannot be questioned.
The company has compiled a catalogue of 120 weanlings to go under the hammer at the Karaka complex today.
“The level of pinhooking demand and enquiry has been strong and it does drive the results at this sale, so with a one-day catalogue, we’re confident that the clearance rate and all the metrics will be solid,” Rolston told ANZ Bloodstock News from Karaka yesterday.
“As far as the stallion profiles go, we’ve got all those proven sires covered and Almanzor, who made all the headlines throughout the sales series over the summer, has got some really nice colts and fillies in the sale.”
As referenced by Rolston, boom Cambridge Stud shuttler Almanzor (Wootton Bassett), whose first southern hemisphere weanlings took the Australasian market by storm, has eight weanlings set to go through the Karaka sales ring while Waikato Stud sire Ocean Park (Thorn Park) has four lots catalogued.
The sale also features second crop foals by Time Test (Dubawi), first crop weanlings by Embellish (Savabeel), Ace High (High Chaparral), U S Navy Flag (Scat Daddy) and Eminent (Frankel).
Two foals from the final crop by the late Sacred Falls (O’Reilly) will also command interest, as will weanlings by Tavistock (Montjeu) and Rich Hill Stud’s Proisir (Choisir), whose unbeaten daughter Kurabui made it three wins from as many starts at Pakenham on Wednesday.
Deep Field (Northern Meteor), his Group 1-winning brother Shooting To Win and Rubick (Encosta De Lago) also have weanlings catalogued.
“It’s good to see some Aussies here,” Cambridge Stud’s Scott Calder said.
“It’s been quite steady. On Wednesday and [yesterday] we have had visits from syndicator Peter Morley and also Michael Kirwan and Merrick Staunton.”
Kiwi agent Paul Willetts was yesterday casting a careful eye over the Karaka weanlings, mindful that he had already bought foals at last week’s Inglis Australian Weanling Sale, including a So You Think (High Chaparral) colt for $60,000 and a Harry Angel (Dark Angel) filly for the same price.
“I have seen a number of nice weanlings this morning but it remains to be seen how active I might be as I was quite busy in Sydney buying eight plus five mares,” Willetts said.
“It’s a busy time and it’s just as well we can travel. It has been quite awkward but there is more to come as I head to the Gold Coast next week.”
Fellow agent Adrian Clark bought last year’s New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Jennifer Eccles (Rip Van Winkle) for just NZ$5,000 from the 2017 weanling sale and he is calling on that experience to hopefully see lightning strike twice.
“Jennifer Eccles had a bombproof temperament and that perhaps is the major factor I look for when buying. I believe it is undervalued,” Clark said.
“I saw it in Jennifer Eccles the day I bought her. She slipped over and grazed herself on sale day. That had to be declared, of course, but it didn’t faze her.
“That worked to the syndicate’s advantage but that sort of thing is something you remember, seeing what has worked in the past.”
Rolston suggested that buyers could be confident about investing in stock with the intention of on-selling next year.
He said: “We are all anticipating a healthy sale next January once the borders are fully open and those smart breeders have brought some nice weanlings here to capitalise on the demand that’s going to transpire.”
Like Australian auction houses, NZB has invested in online bidding technology to cater for the growing number of off-site buyers, a trend dramatically hastened by the Covid-19 pandemic, and Rolston predicts there will again be strong competition from those sitting behind the computer.
“We’ve got quite a few Australians who have turned up on the grounds, so it’s been great to see some of our friends being able to travel again, but the online bidding activity is here to stay regardless of what happens to travel restrictions and we will certainly have it in operation,” he said.
“We’ve already had quite a few registrations for that, so we’re confident that there will be a lot of activity.”
Agent Robert Dawe, speaking early yesterday, had already added a few weanlings to his shortlist.
“I am only two barns in and have already seen several standout foals. Well grown, plenty of scope, and, as always, the good ones will always sell well,” Dawe said.
“The thing about weanlings is that they come in all shapes and sizes at this stage. The good ones really stand out.”
One point NZB is at pains to make is its graduate success, most notably in Australian three-year-old feature races this season.
New Zealand-bred horses have won all five Derbies run in Australia so far, starting with Johnny Get Angry (Tavistock) in the Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m), Explosive Jack (Jakkalberry) landing the Tasmanian Derby (Listed, 2200m), Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) and the South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) and Western Empire (Iffraaj) taking out the ATC Derby (Gr 2, 2400m).
The Australian Derby trifecta was filled by New Zealand-breds while the Kiwis provided the quinella in the South Australian race.
Rolston said: “We’ve got all the Derbies to date and hopefully I don’t jinx us going into the Queensland Derby.”
The NZB National Weanling Sale starts at 11am NZ time.