Lead Story
Momentum carries into Karaka for NZB Ready To Run Sale
Mary-Jo Jackson and Lloyd Jackson
ANZ News
A deep and quality catalogue of around 370 two-year-olds are on the market for this year’s NZB Ready To Race Sale, with the two-day auction beginning at the Karaka Sales Centre on Wednesday.
NZB bloodstock sales manager Kane Jones told ANZ News that he was delighted with the buyers on site ahead of the sale, which will attempt to continue its strong upward trajectory from recent years.
“I think the record of the sale speaks for itself and you can see that in the number of people that are here and showing interest again this year, it just continues to go from strength to strength,” he said.
The sale concluded with an aggregate of $38.59 million last year – a remarkable ten per cent increase on the 2023 record edition – and a clearance rate of 78 per cent, while the average and record-equalling median were in line with the previous year.
NZB also set a southern hemisphere record in 2024 when Te Akau Racing went to $1.65 million for the I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) colt out of Group 1 winner Shillelagh (Savabeel) now named Hostility, who is already Group 1-placed and one of a plethora of stakes-performing graduates across the last season, 12 of them winners with ten at Group 1 level.
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Those include the likes of Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Feroce (Super Seth), Doomben Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Antino (Redwood) and Stradbroke Handicap (Gr 1, 1400m) scorer War Machine (Harry Angel) – while fellow graduates Gringrotts (Per Incanto) and Ceolwulf (Tavistock) were timely respective winners of the Big Dance (1600m) and Champions Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) last week.
Those horses continue a legacy of elite graduates of the sale, including Hong Kong superstars Lucky Sweynesse (Sweynesse) and Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro).
“The graduates out of the sale, Lucky Sweynesse and Golden Sixty up in Hong Kong, but more recently, right throughout Australia, we've had just remarkable results,” Jones said.
“We had Ceolwulf winning the Champions Mile on the weekend, that was beautiful timing heading into this week – a great example of the type of horse that you can buy out of this sale.
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“The last couple of years have been quite remarkable, we set all the records two years ago and didn't think we could replicate that last year, and it turns out we did, so it was even bigger last year.
“We’re certainly not resting on our laurels; we're all working hard. The whole team's working particularly hard to try to garner the best buying bench we possibly can and maintain the last few years. And look, to exceed the last few years would be a dream, but we're certainly trying to at least maintain the figures from the last few years.”
The weight of those results has translated into palpable buyer confidence on the grounds this week, with a notably international flavour to inspections at Karaka as trainers, agents and owners from across Australasia and Asia assess a catalogue brimming with depth.
“I'm just thrilled with who's on site here,” Jones said. “It's a really deep and wide-ranging buying bench. A lot of local New Zealand trainers are out in force, but we've got a good contingent from Malaysia, a big contingent from mainland China, more Australians than previous years, and we've got a huge contingent of trainers and owners from Hong Kong, so that part of the market will be particularly strong.”
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Hong Kong-based buyers spent $17.37 million on 73 lots last year, and while the region’s buying power remains a cornerstone of the sale’s success, Jones said the catalogue offers great versatility, with a range of horses likely to suit different jurisdictions and training programs.
“I think that not every horse is a Hong Kong style horse,” he said. “There's horses that I've earmarked for Australia, and I think the likes of Trent Busuttin and Mike Price and different trainers will identify them pretty easily.”
When asked whether the number of withdrawals could be attributed to the wet spring, Jones said: “At this sale there’s withdrawals for a number of reasons, that could well be one. People want to bring a horse that breezes and vets out well, so if those boxes aren't ticked that could be considered, but I think it's pretty consistent with recent years.”
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Reflecting on the strong trade at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale in Sydney, Jones said there was healthy engagement from key Asian buyers, many of whom appeared to be saving their biggest moves for Karaka.
“Hong Kong was pretty strong there, but the feedback we got from people that were on site was that they were keeping their powder dry for this sale,” he said.
“So we know that their appetite is particularly strong. When you've had champions like Golden Sixty and Lucky Sweynesse up there and even Ka Ying Rising, he wasn't a Karaka graduate, but he's a New Zealand product through and through and a phenomenal advertisement for us and they love to buy at our sale.”
Top vendor at this sale by aggregate for all of the last seven years, Sam Beatson’s Riversley Park looms as a major player again this week with a 39-strong draft after withdrawals set to go through the ring.
In 2017 the operation sold ten-time Group 1 star Golden Sixty for $300,000 before he went on to break Hong Kong’s all-time prize money record, earning HK$167 million (NZ$34 million) in 31 starts. The Beatsons also sold Ceolwulf at the 2022 sale, the now four-time Group 1-winning miler being bought for $170,000 by his trainer Joe Pride and part-owner Leighton Howl.
“We’ve had more foot traffic this year than any other year, so hopefully we see the results in the ring,” Sam Beatson told ANZ. “I think there’s still a few more Hong Kong buyers to come so everything's pretty positive.
“The results speak for themselves at this sale, everyone keeps coming back because they're getting good horses.”
Riversley’s draft features progeny by 28 different sires both proven and emerging in New Zealand and Australia, among them Per Incanto (Street Cry), Super Seth (Dundeel), Shamexpress (O’Reilly), The Autumn Sun (Redoute's Choice), Toronado (High Chaparral), Zoustar (Northern Meteor) and Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj).
The group reflects a deliberate effort to cater to the sale’s diverse buying bench, particularly those seeking the sharper, speed-oriented profiles.
“In New Zealand now we are getting a lot more speed stallions, but it used to be traditionally Australia and Hong Kong that love speed,” Beatson said.
“There's a lot more to choose from in Australia, so that's why we go there, but I think New Zealand's breeding more sprinters now, so we might have a bit more to choose from in the next couple of years. That’s what the Hong Kong market likes.
“When I am buying, I try to target the Hong Kong market, because obviously that's got the most money and we've had great results up there. But it's always handy having the Malaysians and the Koreans to come and buy, maybe those middle to lower horses and the Aussies, they come buy all sorts. It's always good to have them over here as well.”
Beatson was happy with his draft’s breeze ups, with all but three of his lots breaking 11 seconds for 200 metres at Tarapa. His fastest was Lot 110, a colt by Bivouac (Exceed And Excel) out of the winning Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) mare Shrill, herself a half-sister to Group 2 winner Silent Honor (Sunday Silence).
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“It was a bit of a windy old day,” he said, “and the horses obviously don't love wind, but we're happy they went well. When you’re breezing around 40 it's hard to get everything spot on, but no, we were happy. The track at Tarapa was very consistent.”
Another notable member of the draft is Lot 360, a colt by Wootton Bassett out of Riccarton Listed winner Grazia (Savabeel).
“There's a couple I really like,” Beatson said. “I've got a Wootton Bassett with a really nice pedigree that could be a stallion prospect, if the right people are on it. We won't really know until he goes through the ring I suppose.
“Two people are what you need. We always go on with very low reserves. We try and get them on the market early, and they find what value they are is what the market says. If they like it enough, they’ll go to war hopefully and we’ll make some money.”
Prominent due in some part to his untimely passing, late Coolmore shuttle sire Wootton Bassett is represented by two other lots who are also attractively bred.
Lot 70 is from a Fastnet Rock (Danehill) half-sister to four stakes horses, including Group 2 winner Castlereagh Kid (Snitzel) plus Group 1-placed winners Aberfeldie Boy (So You Think) and Happy Hannah (More Than Ready). Meanwhile, Lot 438 is the half-brother to Sydney Group 3 winner Saif-Jumbo Fortune (Pride Of Dubai).
Fresh off training her first winner at Ellerslie last week alongside her sister Hanna Orting, Sophia Nolan is back at Karaka with 17 lots (after withdrawals) prepared by herself and husband Derek under their Lilywhites Lodge banner.
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“We have got a good number this year, we’ve got a few nice horses,” Nolan told ANZ.
“We have a Proisir colt [Lot 281] out of Contrary Mary, he’s probably my standout and has proven popular. He’s a looker. Lot 92, the Almanzor out of a good mare in Secret Allure, has also been very popular. The dam was a multiple Group winner. The Earthlight gelding [Lot 146] has also been popular, he had a good breeze. So we’ll see, but I’m happy with the crowds.”
Nolan commented on a mixed set of breeze ups for her draft, noting that a few were unsuited by the softer conditions.
“They were a little bit up and down, it wasn’t a bad track but it was a little soft and holding - some horses skipped through and some got a little bit tripped up,” she said. “The ideal is a beautiful dry track.”
The fastest of the draft was the Earthlight (Shamardal) gelding, who breezed 200 metres in 10.62. He is the second foal out of the winning Tavistock (Montjeu) mare Taco Tiger, whose dam is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Sutology (Straussbrook).
One who has made major strides since his yearling preparation is Lot 206 by Hello Youmzain (Kodiac). The colt is out of the Zabeel (Sir Tristam) mare Ziffel, herself a half-sister to Group 2-winning juvenile Amelia’s Dream (Redoute’s Choice) – the dam of nine winners from nine foals to race.
“He came to us and wasn’t very big, he got scratched from the yearling sales but he’s really well bred from Cambridge Stud,” she said. “He’s flew – a very good moving horse and he will keep improving.”
Reflecting on activity at Karaka, Nolan said the atmosphere on the grounds felt encouraging, with solid buyer presence across key markets.
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“The feeling you get is that there are plenty of buyers here, it’s busy enough,” she said. “Singapore was a loss but I think Malaysia has grown quite a lot, so that’s good for the middle market.”
Among the robust buyers bench from the local fraternity will be Cambridge Stud CEO Henry Plumptre, who was pleased with what he saw on Tuesday.
“We’re buying in a pretty small bracket, we’re looking for fillies for our racing stable [Karaka]. Sir Brenden and Lady Jo Lindsay race 30-odd horses in a private stable here at Karaka and our numbers are a little bit down this year so we’re looking,” Plumptre told ANZ. “At a sale like this, if I look at 15 to 20 fillies and find three, I’m happy.
“I do have one client in Melbourne who might want to buy a horse here so I’ll have a look at half a dozen geldings for him. I’ve probably seen 50 horses this morning, I think the standard is generally very good.”
The Waikato operation have enjoyed much success with their fillies on the track in recent times, with leading sprinter Joliestar (Zoustar) and dual Group 1 winner Snazzytavi (Tavistock) among their chief representatives. Meanwhile, their Exceedance (Exceed And Excel) mare Dance To The Boom continued her good form when taking the The Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) on Melbourne Cup Day.
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Plumptre said NZB’s previous Ready To Run results inspire confidence about securing another potential star.
“I think Ready To Runs get judged on performance, and the performance out of this sale is consistently higher than its counterparts in Australia,” he said. “They have good results in Hong Kong, Australia, the Group 1 winner at the weekend, Ceolwulf, came from this sale alongside plenty of others.
“If you can turnover, say ten per cent of the catalogue and convert them into city-winning stakes horses, that’s a very high percentage, and that’s consistently what this sale does.”
Plumptre said the Ready To Run marketplace had matured into a highly professional sector of the bloodstock scene, led by plenty of experienced consignors who specialise in preparing horses specifically for this format.
“There’s an element of it that’s recycled yearlings, maybe their reserves were too high or they had problems, but by and large you’ve got big, professional consignors here who don’t do anything but Ready To Run,” he said. “They focus on buying in the right stock that they know can develop. They all have quite a bit of experience now and are getting good results.”
Discussing the wider economic backdrop, Plumptre noted that while all bloodstock markets are sensitive to interest rates and consumer confidence, recent results suggest the sector remains in good health.
“Ready To Run is no different to yearling sales in terms of economics, if the economy is struggling interest rates are going to slowly come down, with people short of money the market will be down,” he said. “This year, I’ve been surprised by the Ready To Race results in Australia, I think that shows it’s quite a buoyant market. I'm sure this sale will hold up pretty well.”
Plumptre said the preparation required to present a polished two-year-old is often underestimated, stressing that successful Ready To Run consignors rely on horsemanship rather than raw speed at the breeze-ups.
“It’s hard to get it right with breeze ups,” he said. “It’s easy to make a mess of a two-year-old by getting it wrong. Most catalogues have 400 lots and about 20 per cent are withdrawn, that’s because a lot of them aren't dealing with the preparation.
“It’s a refined process: you’re not just teaching them how to walk up and down in a line, you actually have to teach them how to race.
“All that development time, there’s a whole range of things that can affect them. The thing about Ready To Run is knowing when to back off them and when you can push.
“As a nation the Kiwis are a bit like the Irish, there are a lot of good horsemen here who source their stock, bring them home and break them in. I think this country gets it right.”
Selling gets underway at 10am (NZDT) on Wednesday.
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