Following a strong opening session at Karaka yesterday, the demand for weanlings intensified today with the remaining 141 lots catalogued boosting yesterday's figures, highlighted by a new all time record clearance rate.

At the close of the weanling session earlier today, a total of 316 weanlings have sold from the 396 on offer, representing a staggering 89% clearance. This is the highest clearance rate ever seen at a New Zealand Bloodstock reserved auction sale.

With this morning's selection averaging a very strong $16,203, the total weanling offering has also posted a new record average of $13,757, up 11% from $12,421 in 2007, with a median that held steady from yesterday at $6,000. Total takings for the weanlings are $4,339,600, up 88% from $2,304,000 last year with 188 sold at that Sale.

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�Day two's highest priced weanling - Lot 360 by Pins from Winds of Conquest

Today's top price was a shade off the $130,000 fetched by the Stravinsky filly from Full Noise (Kaapstad) at Lot 109 yesterday, with Lot 360 bought by GTS Bloodstock for $125,000. The colt by Pins from Winds of Conquest (Quest for Fame) is a half-brother to dual Group 3 winner Coup Bloomsbury (Centaine).

GTS Bloodstock principal Janine Dunlop confirmed that she has pinhooked the colt for her Phoenix Park draft at the Karaka Premier Sale in January. "He stood out to me as one of the best colts in the Sale and being by a top performing sire like Pins, from a current family, he had the pedigree to match. Ancroft Stud has done a great job preparing the colt and he's guaranteed to develop into a lovely yearling."

GTS Bloodstock was the leading individual buyer of this session with five weanlings purchased for an aggregate of $339,500.

Garry and Mark Chittick's Waikato Stud has reaped the benefit of offering all their weanlings unreserved, topping the leading vendors tables with 28 sold for an average of $18,061.� Their top priced weanling came early in the Sale, with Lot 8 selling for $60,000. The colt by O'Reilly from Barzar Babe (Danasinga) was bought by Noble Bloodstock.

Waikato Stud's stallions have also dominated the leading sires list, with their resident sires Pins, Savabeel and O'Reilly the top three sires by average with three weanlings or more sold at this Sale.

Mark Chittick confirmed that all Waikato Stud owned broodmares catalogued today and tomorrow will now also be offered on an unreserved basis. "Buyers knew exactly where they stood with our weanling offering and that has definitely paid dividends for us.�It makes sense for us to offer the broodmares on the same basis."

Marketing Manager Petrea Vela summed up the success of the weanling sessions. "We have been incredibly heartened by the market strength seen over the past couple of days. The activity of the local buyers shows just how successful the tax and depreciation changes made nearly two years ago have been for the industry, and we are very encouraged by the confidence that those buyers are showing in their domestic market."�

"It's clear to us that the weanling sale concept is gaining traction in New Zealand and vendors like Waikato Stud and Curraghmore Stud are proving it to be a viable trading option for them. We are certain there's a good foundation here for us to develop this market even more into the future."

With the first part of the day at Karaka dedicated to last of the weanlings, the afternoon saw yearlings, two-year-olds, unraced horses, racehorses and the first of the 300 broodmares offered for sale.

The mixed bloodstock sessions combined to record a clearance rate of 84%, with�47 lots sold�for $350,200 at a combined average of $7,626.�

The highlight of the mixed sessions was the Pins filly at Lot 453, Lasting Legacy, a half-sister to Group 1 South Australian Oaks winner, Dowry (Bahhare). Being sold as a racing or breeding proposition, she was purchased by Queensland's Blue Sky Thoroughbreds for $100,000 from Rodmor Stud.

The first 52 of the 303 broodmares catalogued concluded selling for today, with the highlight so far the Bassenthwaite mare, Candescent, a $40,000 purchase from The Oaks Stud. The dam of Group 1 Easter Handicap winner, Rags to Riches, she is carrying a positive test to first season covering sire, Darci Brahma.

The Broodmare session will continue from 10am tomorrow (Tuesday) at Karaka.

Weanling Session Results Summary

	2008	2007
Catalogued	396	252
Sold	316	188
Clearance	89%	85%
Average	$13,733	$12,421
Median	$6,000	$7,000
Aggregate	$4,339,600	$2,335,150
Top Price	$130,000	$115,000

Top Lots

Lot	Type	Breeding	Vendor	Purchaser	Price
109	B.F	Stravinsky / Full Noise	LITTLE AVONDALE STUD	MARCUS CORBAN BLOODSTOCK�	$130,000
360	C.C	Pins / Winds of Conquest	ANCROFT STUD�	GTS BLOODSTOCK�	$125,000
138	BR.C	O'Reilly / Honor Rush	ESKER LODGE�	MR J SEE	$105,000
117	B.F	Savabeel / Glittering Girl	CURRAGHMORE STUD�	GTS BLOODSTOCK�	$100,000
295	C.C	Rock of Gibraltar / Sheez Zocay	WELLFIELD LODGE	NEW ZEALAND BLOODSTOCK as agent	$75,000
118	B.F	Savabeel / Glitter Woman	CURRAGHMORE STUD�	MR J SEE	$70,000
330	B.C	Benicio / Tears We Cry	BRIGHTHILL FARM	GTS BLOODSTOCK�	$62,500
8	B.C	O'Reilly / Barzar Babe	WAIKATO STUD	NOBLE BLOODSTOCK	$60,000
91	B.C	Savabeel / Energetic Dancer	BRIGHTHILL FARM	LJ & MR ANDERSON	$60,000
296	BR.C	One Cool Cat / She's Heaven Cent	CURRAGHMORE STUD�	GALAXY RACING	$60,000
361	C.C	Pins / Worship	BRIGHTHILL FARM	MR SA MILLS	$60,000

Leading Buyers by Aggregate

Purchaser	Bought	Aggregate	Average	Top Price
NEW ZEALAND BLOODSTOCK as agent	30	$409,000	$13,633	$75,000
GTS BLOODSTOCK�	5	$339,500	$67,900	$125,000
MR J SEE	4	$233,000	$58,250	$105,000
NOBLE BLOODSTOCK	4	$146,000	$36,500	$60,000
GALAXY RACING	8	$134,250	$16,781	$60,000
MARCUS CORBAN BLOODSTOCK LTD	1	$130,000	$130,000	$130,000
NICHOLSON O'ROURKE�	5	$120,000	$24,000	$55,000
MR SA MILLS	3	$114,000	$38,000	$60,000
SIR JAMES LODGE�	8	$92,500	$11,563	$27,000
MR MW HAMILTON	4	$90,000	$22,500	$30,000

Leading Sires by Average (3 or more sold)

Sire	Sold	Average	Aggregate	Top Price
Pins	4	$61,750	$247,000	$125,000
Savabeel	8	$49,063	$392,500	$100,000
O'Reilly	8	$44,500	$356,000	$105,000
Van Nistelrooy	5	$27,100	$135,500	$42,500
Handsome Ransom	7	$24,786	$173,500	$47,500
Align	3	$24,167	$72,500	$32,500
Mossman	3	$23,000	$69,000	$38,000
Chianti	3	$22,467	$67,400	$44,000
Falkirk	3	$20,000	$60,000	$38,000
High Chaparral	4	$19,875	$79,500	$42,500

Leading First Season Sires by Average (3 or more sold)

Sire	Sold	Average	Aggregate	Top Price
Falkirk	3	$20,000	$60,000	$38,000
Zenno Rob Roy	3	$14,000	$42,000	$22,000
Keeninsky	4	$11,625	$46,500	$22,500
Castledale	5	$8,410	$42,050	$16,000
Duelled	3	$5,867	$17,600	$12,000
Mr. Nancho	4	$5,500	$22,000	$15,000

Leading Vendors by Aggregate

Vendor	Sold	Aggregate	Average	Top Price
WAIKATO STUD	28	$505,700	$18,061	$60,000
CURRAGHMORE STUD LTD	14	$376,250	$26,875	$100,000
BRIGHTHILL FARM	14	$368,500	$26,321	$62,500
LITTLE AVONDALE STUD	11	$244,600	$22,236	$130,000
ESKER LODGE LTD	6	$180,000	$30,000	$105,000
WALNUT HILL FARMS LTD	12	$178,000	$14,833	$55,000
TWIN PINE THOROUGHBREDS LTD	14	$171,800	$12,271	$46,000
ANCROFT STUD LTD	4	$151,750	$37,938	$125,000
WINDSOR PARK STUD LTD	16	$139,500	$8,719	$50,000
TE RUNGA STUD LTD	13	$134,250	$10,327	$47,500

Leading Vendors by Average (3 or more sold)

Vendor	Sold	Average	Aggregate	Top Price
ANCROFT STUD LTD	4	$37,938	$151,750	$125,000
ESKER LODGE LTD	6	$30,000	$180,000	$105,000
CURRAGHMORE STUD LTD	14	$26,875	$376,250	$100,000
BRIGHTHILL FARM	14	$26,321	$368,500	$62,500
WOODBINE FARM PARTNERSHIP	3	$24,333	$73,000	$31,000
LITTLE AVONDALE STUD	11	$22,236	$244,600	$130,000
BLANDFORD LODGE	5	$20,800	$104,000	$45,000
PHOENIX PARK	3	$20,000	$60,000	$30,000
BLUE GABLES FARM	5	$18,800	$94,000	$26,000
WAIKATO STUD	28	$18,061	$505,700	$60,000

Mixed Bloodstock Results Summary

	Sold	Clearance	Aggregate	Average	Top Price
Yearlings (18)	14	100%	$72,500	$5,179	$20,000 (Lot 402)
Two-Year-Old (11)	4	50%	$26,800	$6,700	$17,000 (Lot 416)
Unraced Stock (19)	16	84%	$46,750	$2,922	$8,250 (Lot 441)
Racehorses (18)	13	87%	$204,150	$15,704	$100,000 (Lot 453)
Total	47	84%	$350,200	$7,626	$100,000 (Lot 453)

Top Broodmare Lots (First Session)

Lot	Type	Name	Breeding	Covering Sire	Vendor	Purchaser	Price
479	B.M+	Candescent	Bassenthwaite / Candelila	Darci Brahma	THE OAKS STUD	NZ BLOODSTOCK (as agent)	$40,000
482	B.M+	Car Key	Carnegie / Key of Future	One Cool Cat	CHESTERFIELDS�	PERFECTLY READY SYNDICATE	$32,000
494	BR.M	Cent to Win	Centro / Lady Nairne		LITTLE AVONDALE STUD	BLUE GABLES FARM	$18,000
490	C.F+	Celtic Symphony	Traditionally / Maggie	Keeper	WALNUT HILL FARMS�	MR MJ CORCORAN	$13,500
491	B.M+	Centakin	Centaine / Luskin Lady	Fast 'n' Famous	WAIKATO STUD	KINNOUL INVESTMENTS	$11,000