Foote takes shine to Hong Kong-bound Capitalist colt
International buyers out in force as final day flourish at Karaka sees NZB Ready to Run Sale end on a high
The New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale finished with a flurry yesterday, with ten two-year-olds selling for NZ$300,000 or more during the amplified session, notably including a colt by Capitalist (Written Tycoon), the latest stallion making his mark in the important export market of Hong Kong.
Agent John Foote signed for the sale-topping NZ$625,000 colt – one of seven juveniles to make half a million or more at Karaka across the two days – who was purchased to race in Hong Kong.
Consignor Shane Crawford from Regal Farm knows a thing or two about top-class horses and he has given his seal of approval for the colt by Capitalist, who ran up in 10.31 seconds in his breeze-up.
“The colt was a breeze to deal with from day one. I knew he was good from the first time I put my leg over him. He gave me a magic feel and I have ridden some good ones, including Octagonal as a young horse,” Crawford said.
“He has a good horse’s attitude and he’s been smooth sailing all the way. I bought him in June at Magic Millions and I had him on the market at $250,000, so everything went to plan.”
Hong Kong’s David Hall will train the colt, who is the third foal out of the Group 3-placed winner of four races, Sebrina (Sebring).
By the same sire as Sunday’s impressive Sha Tin winner Superb Capitalist and Savvy Chic, who scored at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, he was purchased for $155,000 from the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale in June by Regal Farm and Upper Bloodstock.
Catalogued as Lot 258 yesterday, he was also sold through the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale when making $250,000 to noted sellers Silverdale Farm and agent Suman Hedge.
“[Capitalist] is doing well in Hong Kong so far. [The owners] are keen on the stallion and were happy to buy him,” Foote said.
“He is a beautiful horse and he breezed well. He is by a proven stallion and had everything that you want for Hong Kong at the moment.
“I haven’t seen a lot of them due to Covid-19 as we couldn’t come to New Zealand, but the ones in Australia we saw, it is good to see them progress, and he did progress.
“He breezed well and he has a good action and pedigree.”
There were 17 horses sold across the two days for NZ$300,000 or more, with the average increasing to NZ$129,159 at the conclusion of day two, while the median held firm at NZ$80,000. The clearance rate, which was 65 per cent after day one, was at 76 per cent last night with further trade expected to conclude in the next few days. The aggregate was at NZ$25.186 million.
Sydney-based agent Andrew Williams, who signed alongside trainer Andrew Forsman for the NZ$575,000 Savabeel (Zabeel) colt sold late on day one, continued a busy Ready to Run sale by purchasing a son of Hellbent (I Am Invincible) for NZ$550,000 and a colt by Deep Field (Northern Meteor) for NZ$460,000 yesterday.
The Kilgravin Lodge-consigned Hellbent two-year-old, who was catalogued as Lot 307, is a three-quarter brother to multiple winner Title Shot (I Am Invincible). He breezed up in 10.30 seconds.
“I thought he was one of the standout horses of the sale,” Williams said.
“He is a particularly fast–looking horse and I have got a lot of time for the stallion Hellbent. This horse is very well put together and breezed well. He also came highly recommended by Eion Kemp, who is a trusted horseman.
“This is for a new client who wanted a sprinting style of horse. The horse will be given his chance, possibly in Australia, and then head to Hong Kong in time.”
He was purchased by the RTR Partnership and agents Johnny McKeever and Bevan Smith for $120,000 from the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
“We had two good colts (Lot 262, an NZ$330,000 Star Turn gelding) near the end and this fellow was a nice way to end our sale,” Kilgravin Lodge’s Eion Kemp said of the second–crop juvenile by Yarraman Park’s Hellbent.
“The colt has always been special ever since the Classic sale where he was rated highly. He just continued to develop and flourish.
“We put a realistic reserve on him and he blew past that easily. It’s important to get them up and going.”
The Williams-purchased Deep Field colt will end up in Hong Kong, the destination for many of the higher-priced lots sold this week.
“I bid on him as a yearling, and I loved him as a yearling. He has exceeded my expectations (as a two-year-old) and that is why we are here today,” Williams said.
“Deep Field is a stallion we have been trying to buy all two-year-old sales season.
“We rated this horse a lot higher than the previous horses and we had the potential to give this a good crack, so it was great to be able to secure him.”
By Hong Kong’s reigning champion sire, who stands at Newgate Farm, the Roger Sousa-bred colt was purchased for $200,000 by Riversley Park and racing journalist Mick Guerin from the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in April.
The combination also successfully pinhooked an Exceed And Excel (Danehill) colt, purchased for $150,000 out of the Easter sale, who sold for NZ$500,000 on Wednesday.
“He will grow out here in New Zealand and he might potentially go up there as a PPG (Privately Purchased Griffin) after a trial,” Williams said.
“He is for an existing client who has had a lot of success in Hong Kong of late.”
Carter making his mark on the other side of the fence
A colt by Coolmore shuttler Justify (Scat Daddy) also broke through the half–a–million–dollar barrier yesterday, with Morgan Carter paying NZ$520,000 for the Ohukia Lodge-consigned two-year-old.
The $60,000 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale graduate, who is out of Foxwedge (Fastnet Rock) mare Santa Clara, clocked 10.47 seconds in his breeze-up and Carter and his client, Hong Kong trainer Michael Chang, are already dreaming of victory in Hong Kong’s most sought–after race.
“I absolutely loved the horse. He’s tough and strong and he’s got everything going for him,” Carter said.
“He’s not perfect in front, but you look at the whole picture and this is the sort of horse who will get you the Hong Kong Derby.”
A contract auctioneer for New Zealand Bloodstock for many years, Carter has forged a relationship with Hong Kong trainer Chang which led to yesterday’s purchase.
Chang already trains the Carter-bought Ching (Frosted), a four-year-old who was runner-up at Sha Tin on November 6. Ching was bred by the Llanhennock Trust and he won two trials in January at Cambridge and Ellerslie, before being sent to Hong Kong.
“Michael and I have been doing a bit of business together and I have got him a horse recently called Ching,” Carter said.
“He came from this sale actually and he’s just come out and run a huge second at Sha Tin the other day and since then we’ve done a couple more deals and Michael and I have partnered up with his exports from New Zealand.
“We wanted one decent horse today and he’s made in the same shape and size as Ching, so it won’t be long and we’ll see him come through the ranks in Hong Kong.”
Well-known auctioneer Carter admitted to nerves shortly before the Justify colt walked into the ring – a different feeling to that experienced when on the rostrum at Karaka.
“I can tell you right now, you feel nervous when you go up onto the rostrum, that’s one thing, and I thought I was pretty relaxed right up until about two lots before the horse went through, but I was a bit nervous,” he said.
“It was my first proper order from the Ready to Run Sale for Hong Kong and I am really, really excited.”
As for the development of Morgan Carter Bloodstock, he said: “Day-to-day [my job] is mainly private sales, so PPs and PPGs off the track obviously. I haven’t really given much time to buying from the sales, just because I’ve got another business, and my auctioneering work takes up my time, so I try to stay out of a conflict of interest where I can.”
Strong finish leaves NZB directors happy
NZB director of business development Mike Kneebone was delighted with the way the Ready to Run Sale closed out.
“As I said (on Wednesday), the sale started to come right with a really strong last three or four hours and that was a strong indicator of how [yesterday] would go,” Kneebone told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“With that market, the selling rate increased and that was the big goal for us, to get the horses sold. Some purchasers mentioned that maybe the horses were [believed to be of] better quality on day two, but that’s just the luck of the draw, really.
“Certainly, having that selling rate (83 per cent on day two alone) is a big plus for us and it could even go quite a bit higher than 76 per cent (for the whole sale), because the passed in horses are selling really well at the moment.
“We’ve always concentrated on getting a big buying bench here and we’ve done that in the top end consistently, but I think it was the middle market which really pulled us through this time.
“The Singaporean, the Malaysian, the Australian side of things, the South Koreans, having them buying in numbers and with confidence really helped that middle market and really lifted the whole sale at the end of the day.”
Riversley Park was the leading vendor for the sixth year in a row, selling 27 two-year-olds for a combined NZ$5,192,500 while Ohukia Lodge sold 26 for a total of NZ$4,927,500.
“We’re very happy with the pinhooks and for the clients that trusted us with their horses,” Riversley’s Sam Beatson said.
“The sale was strong on the second day. We did have some great results on the first day and we’re still doing business now.”
“If we’re all doing it and doing it well, everyone’s happy and everyone goes back and buys more horses at the yearling sales.”
Mark and Lorraine Forbes of Kiltannon Stables claimed the leading vendor by average title, selling five two-year-olds at an average of NZ$194,000, including a top price of NZ$350,000.
Champion New Zealand trainer Jamie Richards, who has made Hong Kong his home, was the leading buyer at his first sale as an international trainer, purchasing five juveniles in conjunction with agent Andrew Williams for NZ$1.375 million.
Richards’ rival Hong Kong trainer Caspar Fownes bought four horses.