A filly by Stravinsky fetched NZ$775,000 to top Tuesday’s second and final
session of the New Zealand Bloodstock’s Premier Yearling Sale in Karaka. The
filly was consigned by Cambridge Stud and was purchased by Dean Hawthorne
Bloodstock. The yearling is out of Diamond Smile (Zabeel), a three-quarter
sister to Octagonal.
“I’ve purchased this filly for a Victorian client who is looking to build up
a nice broodmare band,” Hawthorne said. “We rated her as one of the top fillies
in the sale on type and, with such a strong family so close up in her pedigree,
she’s a filly anyone would love to have in their paddock. There aren’t many
opportunities to buy into the family and we were helped by the exchange rate in
our favor.”
David Ellis of Te Akau Racing was the leading buyer at the Premier Sale,
purchasing 12 lots for NZ$4,475,000. His top purchase was Hip No. 327, a son of
Encosta de Lago out of Wyndam Special (Centaine) from the Cambridge Stud
consignment.
“I thought this was Cambridge Stud’s best colt,” Ellis said of the yearling,
which he bought for a syndicate of local and international owners. “The plan is
to take advantage of the good stake money in New Zealand and race these colts
here and, with stallion pedigrees, they have the potential to stand at stud.”
Cambridge Stud was the auction’s leading vendor, selling 52 yearlings for
NZ$10,432,500.
During two days of selling in Karaka, 366 yearlings sold for NZ$53,330,000.
The average was NZ$145,710 — down 27 percent from last year’s record-setting
sale, while the median fell 33.3 percent to NZ$100,000. New Zealand Bloodstock’s
Managing Director Petrea Vela admitted things got off to a slow start Tuesday,
but said she was pleased with the end results.
“It started slower than we had anticipated today, which rattled our
confidence early on, but the sale rallied and we saw some very good results over
the course of the afternoon,” Vela said. “There’s no doubt the market was strong
in places, but buyers are selective, as they can afford to be given the current
climate. Clearly the market is experiencing a downturn, but in light of the fact
that our 2007 figures were records at the time, to be in that range is still a
good result for the industry.”
The New Zealand Bloodstock sales series continues Wednesday with the first of
three Select Sale sessions. The sale is streamed live at www.nzb.co.nz.