Blockbuster Sale as Ready to Run Records Tumble
21 November 2024
Expectations were exceeded at Karaka with tremendous results witnessed across two days of selling at NZB’S 2024 Ready to Run Sale, confirming the demand for proven racetrack results and quality New Zealand-prepared horses.
After Day One’s blockbuster day including the record-breaking sale of a $1,650,000 two-year-old, momentum continued into the final day of selling which saw the total aggregate land at $38,593,500, a 10% increase on the 2023 record edition of the Sale.
The clearance rate at the close of selling was a strong 78% with the average and median on par with last year’s remarkable results.
“I’m absolutely delighted with the buying bench we were able to assemble. We had hoped to match last year’s results but to exceed them has been a wonderful outcome,” commented NZB Managing Director Andrew Seabrook.
“To achieve nearly 79% with the clearance rate, that’s really satisfying. We’ll be selling horses for the next few hours and into tomorrow so if we can get over 80% that would be fantastic.”
“The horses are incredibly well prepared by our vendors, who continue to step up every year. They do such a great job preparing these horses, there’s no one like them in the world and NZB is blessed to have such great consignors.”
A significant international presence was felt with Hong Kong-based buyers responsible for over $17.1 million in spend across 72 lots, while Australian buyers secured 67 lots for a total of $10.6 million in receipts. Emerging market Malaysia stamped their mark throughout the Sale, purchasing 40 horses for $3 million while the domestic market made a splash of $6.2 million for 57 lots. Other markets active included China who purchased 10 lots, and for the first time Mongolia signed up for five lots.
Photo: Angelique Bridson
Taking the honours of leading buyer for the second consecutive year was prominent Hong Kong owner and businessman Mr Yeung Kin Man, purchasing a whopping 24 lots for $4,995,000.
“I think the quality of the catalogue was even stronger this year, so that is why I have bought more horses,” he commented.
Leading vendor for the eighth consecutive year in a row was Sam Beatson’s Riversley Park, selling 35 lots for just shy of $7 million.
“It’s full on having such a large draft, but we’ve got great staff.”
“We like to get horses on the market early and let them find their value. We also bought at the lower end this year and it worked out.
“But to be able to breeze them on a consistent turf surface is the best advantage for everyone.
“Selling good genuine horses and keeping people happy is what I take pride in,” he added.
The highlight on Day Two came when the much-anticipated son of Churchill, Lot 288, was knocked down to Patella Bloodstock for $775,000 from Riverrock Farm’s draft.
“We are over the moon, he trialled really well before the breeze-ups,” commented Riverrock’s Chad Ormsby.
“We turned down good money after that, but we wanted to promote ourselves and our brand, and we thought the best way to do that was to turn down that offer and carry on into the sale.
“This Ready to Run Sale is our homeground too, it’s our local sale and we believe it’s the best sale of its kind, so we wanted to support the Sale as well.”
The phenomenal results across the last two days were highlighted by the record-breaking colt out of Group One winner Shillelagh (Lot 174), from Kiltannon Stables’ draft, which set a Southern Hemisphere record when selling for $1,650,000 to Te Akau Racing’s David Ellis.
The colt’s sire, I Am Invincible, was the leading sire by average after having four lots sell for an average of $675,000.
To make enquiries about Passed Lots contact Patrick Cunningham on +64 21 181 5898 or email Patrick.Cunningham@nzb.co.nz, or Andrew Buick on +64 27 555 0640 or email Andrew.Buick@nzb.co.nz.
Catch all the Ready to Run Sale highlights on NZB’s Sale TV channel here.
Next up on the sales calendar is the much anticipated National Yearling Sales Series, with the catalogue for Karaka 2025 set to be released next week.
Kicking off with the TAB Karaka Millions Raceday at Ellerslie on Saturday 25 January, selling will follow with Book 1 set to take place from 26 to 28 January, while Book 2 will begin directly after on 29 & 30 January.
2024 Ready to Run Sale Statistics (at end of selling)
| 2024 Ready to Run Sale | 2023 Ready to Run Sale | 2022 Ready to Run Sale | 2021 Ready to Run Sale (Virtual) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate | $38,593,500 | $35,107,000 | $25,186,000 | $20,547,000 |
| Average | $151,943 | $156,031 | $129,159 | $121,580 |
| Median | $90,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
| Clearance | 78% | 73% | 76% | 66% |
| Catalogued | 404 | 383 | 329 | 322 |
| Offered | 324 | 308 | 257 | 256 |
| Sold | 254 | 225 | 195 | 169 |
| Top Lot | Lot 174 $1,650,000 I Am Invincible - Shillelagh (Br.C) | Lot 376 $825,000 Star Turn - Commonwealth (B.C) | Lot 258 $625,000 Capitalist - Sebrina (Ch.C) | Lot 107 $640,000 Savabeel - Etiquette (Br.C) |
2024 Ready to Run Sale – Top Lots Day Two
| Lot | Sire | Dam | Sex | Vendor | Purchaser | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 288 | Churchill | Bagitol | Colt | Riverrock Farm | Patella Bloodstock | $775,000. |
| 283 | Toronado | Attractive | Colt | BMD Bloodstock | Ms B Yim | $625,000. |
| 372 | Harry Angel | Florabella | Colt | Ohukia Lodge | Morgan Carter Bloodstock Ltd | $520,000. |
| 394 | Snitzel | Hard As | Colt | KB Bloodstock | Blandford Bloodstock / Andrew Williams Bloodstock | $480,000. |
| 276 | Encryption | Ardoyne Road | Gelding | Riversley Park Ltd | Mr KM Yeung | $450,000. |
| 226 | Super Seth | Tiff and Co | Colt | KB Bloodstock | Sutton Racing / Byron Rogers | $420,000. |
| 402 | Derryn | Hot Spot | Gelding | Riversley Park Ltd | Mr KM Yeung | $420,000. |
| 271 | Russian Revolution | Angelicus | Colt | Ohukia Lodge | Magus Equine | $400,000. |
| 306 | Harry Angel | Cambric | Colt | Kilgravin Lodge | Koolman | $400,000. |
| 369 | Castelvecchio | First Tier | Gelding | Kilgravin Lodge | Waikato Bloodstock | $400,000. |
| 385 | Hellbent | Geneteau | Colt | Ohukia Lodge | Upper Bloodstock | $400,000. |
2024 Ready to Run Sale – Top Lots Overall
| Lot | Sire | Dam | Sex | Vendor | Purchaser | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 174 | I Am Invincible | Shillelagh | Colt | Kiltannon Stables Ltd | Mr DC Ellis CNZM (BAFNZ) | $1,650,000. |
| 288 | Churchill | Bagitol | Colt | Riverrock Farm | Patella Bloodstock | $775,000. |
| 32 | I Am Invincible | La Luna Rossa | Colt | KB Bloodstock | YLP | $675,000. |
| 79 | Proisir | Miss Vegas | Gelding | Riversley Park | Andrew Williams Bloodstock / Hong Kong Bloodstock | $650,000. |
| 283 | Toronado | Attractive | Colt | BMD Bloodstock | Ms B Yim | $625,000. |
| 122 | Ole Kirk | Press Box | Gelding | Lyndhurst Farm | Magus Equine | $550,000. |
| 190 | Deep Field | Sorpesee | Colt | Ohukia Lodge | Douglas Whyte / Sam Wright / Bevan Smith Bloodstock | $550,000. |
| 372 | Harry Angel | Florabella | Colt | Ohukia Lodge | Morgan Carter Bloodstock | $520,000. |
| 394 | Snitzel | Hard As | Colt | KB Bloodstock | Blandford Bloodstock / Andrew Williams Bloodstock | $480,000. |
| 83 | Xtravagant | Moshki | Colt | KB Bloodstock | Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald Racing / Blandford Bloodstock | $450,000. |
| 276 | Encryption | Ardoyne Road | Gelding | Riversley Park | Mr KM Yeung | $450,000. |
2024 Ready to Run Sale – Leading Purchasers
| Purchaser | Aggregate | Bought | Top Price | Top Lot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mr KM Yeung (Hong Kong) | $4,995,000. | 24 | $450,000. | 276 |
| Mr DC Ellis CNZM (BAFNZ) (Te Akau) | $2,695,000. | 7 | $1,650,000. | 90 |
| Magus Equine (Hong Kong) | $1,865,000. | 5 | $550,000. | 122 |
| Lindsay Park Racing (Victoria) | $945,000. | 4 | $280,000. | 232 |
| Patella Bloodstock (Hong Kong) | $885,000. | 2 | $775,000. | 288 |
| YLP (Victoria) | $885,000. | 2 | $675,000. | 32 |
| Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald Racing / Blandford Bloodstock (New South Wales) | $870,000. | 3 | $450,000. | 83 |
| Mr R Yiu (Hong Kong) | $870,000. | 3 | $400,000. | 186 |
| Morgan Carter Bloodstock Ltd (Hong Kong) | $795,000. | 3 | $520,000. | 372 |
| Mick Price Racing and Breeding (Victoria) | $695,000. | 3 | $275,000. | 53 |
2024 Ready to Run Sale – Leading Vendors by Aggregate
| Vendor | Lots Sold | Aggregate | Top Price | Top Lot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riversley Park | 35 | $6,945,000. | $650,000. | 79 |
| Ohukia Lodge | 21 | $4,670,000. | $550,000. | 190 |
| KB Bloodstock | 17 | $3,610,000. | $675,000. | 32 |
| Kilgravin Lodge | 23 | $3,410,000. | $400,000. | 369 |
| BMD Bloodstock | 10 | $2,120,000. | $625,000. | 283 |
| Kiltannon Stables | 7 | $2,085,000. | $1,650,000. | 174 |
| Riverrock Farm | 8 | $2,020,000. | $775,000. | 288 |
| Woburn Farm | 13 | $1,800,000. | $250,000. | 80 |
| Prima Park | 13 | $1,760,000. | $370,000. | 333 |
| Westbury Stud | 35 | $1,725,000. | $330,000. | 13 |
2024 Ready to Run Sale – Leading Vendors by Average (three or more sold)
| Vendor | Sold | Average | Top Price | Top Lot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leanach Lodge | 3 | $303,333 | $375,000 | 34 |
| Kiltannon Stables | 7 | $297,857 | $1,650,000 | 174 |
| Riverrock Farm | 8 | $252,500 | $775,000 | 288 |
| Ohukia Lodge | 21 | $222,381 | $550,000 | 190 |
| KB Bloodstock | 17 | $212,353 | $675,000 | 32 |
| BMD Bloodstock | 10 | $212,000 | $625,000 | 283 |
| Lyndhurst Farm | 5 | $210,500 | $550,000 | 122 |
| Riversley Park | 35 | $198,429 | $650,000 | 79 |
| Kilgravin Lodge | 23 | $148,261 | $400,000 | 369 |
| Regal Farm | 8 | $146,250 | $320,000 | 187 |
2024 Ready to Run Sale – Leading Sires by Average (three or more sold)
| Sire | Lots Sold | Average | Top Price | Top Lot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Am Invincible | 4 | $675,000 | $1,650,000 | 174 |
| Toronado | 6 | $287,500 | $625,000 | 283 |
| All Too Hard | 4 | $280,000 | $350,000 | 375 |
| Proisir | 7 | $236,429 | $650,000 | 79 |
| Hellbent | 5 | $236,000 | $400,000 | 385 |
| Russian Revolution | 3 | $226,667 | $400,000 | 271 |
| Written By | 3 | $213,333 | $260,000 | 225 |
| Shamexpress | 3 | $203,333 | $280,000 | 232 |
| Derryn | 3 | $191,667 | $420,000 | 402 |
| Super Seth | 6 | $181,667 | $420,000 | 226 |