There was certainly a theme to the top end buying at this week’s New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale with the six most popular lots – who sold for between $675,000 and $825,000 – all purchased by Chinese/Hong Kong buyers.
The sale, which has a long record of providing big race winners – the latest being Ceolwulf who trainer Joseph Pride secured for $170,000 three years ago – broke its own records in regards to aggregate (over $41.4 million), median ($100,000) and average (over $156,000).
Leading the way was lot 374, a Zoustar colt from the draft of KB Bloodstock secured by Hong Kong phone screen manufacturer Yeung Kin Man for $825,000.
He has been a big buyer at the sale in recent years, cheering home a number of winning graduates and his the sale topper was one of the 16 he purchased this week.
The Zoustar colt bred by Glenlogan Park was a successful pinhook having been purchased at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale for $200,000. A son of the Listed winning Hussonet mare Hijack Hussy, he is a half-brother to the recently retired Champion Method who won three races in Hong Kong.
Heading the same way is the second top lot with James Cummings, who kicks off his Hong Kong career next season, laying down $775,000 for lot 371, a Prima Park Written Tycoon flashy half-brother to the triple Gr.3 winner My Whisper from the always prolific Mumtaz Mahal family.
Little Avondale Stud’s Per Incanto (the horse affectionately known as Magnum; PI!) enjoyed a successful sale with two lots in the top six; lot 214 bought by China’s Mr Sanxiong Gao for $750,000 and lot 398 by Shijiazhuang Hongtao Horse Breeding for $700,000.
Lot 214 (a $300,000 yearling) from Kiltannon Stables is a half-brother to the Gr.2 placed multiple city winner War Eternal out of a daughter of the dual stakes winner Impressive Eagle whilst lot 398 sold by Trelawney Stud has as his grandam the the Perth Cup winner Luna Tudor, dam of the Toorak Handicap winner Allez Wonder (Michelle Payne’s first Gr.1 winner) and grandam of the All-Aged Stakes winner Tivaci.
Also amongst the best sellers was lot 283, a Hello Youmzain colt sold by BMD Bloodstock to Mr Hongwei Chen for $700,000 and lot 105, a Satono Aladdin purchased for $675,000 by Mr Sanxiong Gao from the draft of Riversley Park (for the ninth time running the sale’s leading vendor) who had paid $130,000 for him as a Karaka yearling.
The Hello Youmzain, who was purchased at Karaka as a yearling for $90,000, is out of a three time winning Zabeel mare from the family of Efficient whilst the Satono Aladdin is out of a half-sister to the NZ Champion 3Y0 Madison County.
With the Asian market interested in the boys, there were no fillies in the top 21 sellers with the most expensive female being lot 369 from Prima Park’s draft; a daughter of I Am Invincible from a high class international family catching the eye of Bjorn Baker Racing, Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) and Ridgmont who parted with $360,000 to get her.
There were several good results for the pin-hookers, such as lot 110, a Magic Millions Book 2 purchase for $65,000 who James Cummings liked the look of, paying $425,000 for the Riversley Park son of Bivouac and the stakes placed Shamardal mare Shrill.
And lot 335, a $70,000 Inglis Melbourne Premier graduate who Landsdowne Park (the sale’s leading vendor by average) sold to Hong Kong’s Ms B Yim for $480,000. By Observer’s up-and-coming young sire Ghaiyyath, he is out of a Flemington winning half-sister to the Listed winning juvenile Wait For No One.
Those taking a punt on Ghaiyyath fared exceptionally well with lot 365 from the Ohukia Lodge draft being a $30,000 Melbourne Premier yearling purchased for Hong Kong (where his dam’s full brother Amber Sky was a high achiever) by Mark Newnham for $420,000. That trainer also bought lot 263, a $325,000 Castelvecchio gelding from the Eight Carat family; a $95,000 graduate of the Inglis May Yearling Sale where he was the fifth highest seller.
Other pin-hooks include lot 319, an Alabama Express bought as a weanling for $50,000 and sold for $240,000, lot 210, a Sword Of State who turned $30,000 into $420,000, lot 449, an Adelaide Magic Millions $55,000 purchase by Star Turn who fetched $240,000 and lot 70, a colt by the late Wootton Bassett; a $180,000 Melbourne Premier yearling from the Denise’s Joy family who found a new home for $420,000.
Also at the high end was lot 84, a $150,000 Easter Snitzel son of the Gr.3 mare Samovar whose value increased to $525,000 and lot 138, an Adelaide Magic Millions $180,000 Ole Kirk colt out of the Gr.3 placed Statuesquely who realised $480,000.
Meanwhile patience paid off in regards to lot 111, a $35,000 weanling purchase by Per Incanto, passed in as a yearling. Wait a few months and he is worth $230,000! And lot 170 by The Autumn Sun was withdrawn from Karaka having also been a $35,000 baby, now worth $240,000.
It was a third time through the sales ring for lot 191, a Blue Point gelding who attracted much more love than he did as a weanling ($26,000) and yearling ($30,000) when sold to Hong Kong trainer Ricky Yiu for $375,000. That trainer also purchased lot 243, a flashy 3/4 brother to the Hong Kong Champion sprinter Lucky Sweynesse – a $60,000 Karaka yearling secured for $280,000.
Gelding also worked for lot 194, a $4,000 weanling and $45,000 yearling by Exceedance who James Cummings takes to Hong Kong for $230,000.
The already named Malua Bay, lot 239, lost value between being sold as a weanling for $70,000 and as a yearling for $50,000 but he had certainly blossomed with Darby Racing going to $270,000 to buy the son of Proisir.
Results certainly give New Zealand breeders confidence as they head towards Karaka 2026 with that yearling sale catalogue due to be published online next week.
