Fastnet Stars on Day 1 of Karaka 2014

27 January 2014

New Zealand Bloodstock’s 88th National Yearling Sales Series has gotten off to a solid start, with boom sire Fastnet Rock providing the three feature lots of the day.

Fastnet Rock x Katie Lee colt Lot 73 $800k web

Sir Patrick Hogan with Graeme & Debbie Rogerson and their $800,000 purchase - Lot 73.

The top price of $800,000 came early in the day with Lot 73, first foal of Group 1 winner Katie Lee (Pins) - the only filly to have won both the Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas and Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas.  The colt was purchased by Graeme & Debbie Rogerson’s Rogerson Bloodstock.

Lot 73 was sold by Sir Patrick & Lady Hogan’s Cambridge Stud who raced Katie Lee in their famous green silks. Katie Lee was trained by the Rogerson partnership throughout her career, including her stellar three-year-old campaign that landed the two Group 1 successes.

“Katie Lee was a great mare and Debbie’s got a close affinity with her,” commented Graeme Rogerson. “What she did for us, there’s no other filly like her.

“On type this colt is very strong. We debated when driving up today, but in the end Debbie said ‘I want that horse’. I valued him higher than what we got him for and there are a lot of people that want to go in on him already.

“Who knows, he might end up standing back at Cambridge Stud. We need those sorts of horses in New Zealand, look at Savabeel and what he’s achieved already.”

The top priced filly of the day was Lot 139, also by Fastnet Rock, purchased by Coolmore’s Tom Magnier for $700,000. The filly, offered by Pencarrow Stud, is out of Listed winner and Group 1 VRC Oaks runner-up Miss Scarlatti (Stravinsky).

Fastnet Rock x Miss Scarlatti filly Lot 139 $700k web

Lot 139 sold for $700,000 to Tom Magnier.

“The Fastnet Rock fillies have been very popular and she’s a lovely type so all we need now is a little bit of luck,” commented Tom Magnier. “We’ll take her home and then decide what we’ll do with her and who will train her.

“She is a credit to the team at Pencarrow, they have had all of their horses looking fantastic again this year.”

Fastnet Rock also provided the third top price of the day when Te Akau Stud’s David Ellis secured Lot 207 for $680,000. From the stakes winning American mare Randaroo (Gold Case), the colt headed a spending spree by Ellis that put him at the top of the Buyers List for the day with 25 yearlings bought for $4,095,000. Buying at all levels of the market, Ellis is on track to become the leading buyer at Karaka for the ninth consecutive year, with an average price paid of $163,800.

Ellis headed a local buying bench that showed a significant increase in strength from 2013, with New Zealand buyers responsible for 43% of today’s total spend, up from 28% of the total spend on the first day last year. Rogerson Bloodstock is currently the third leading purchaser of the Premier Sale, with Graham Richardson also featuring prominently throughout the day with six yearlings purchased for $550,000.

“There are a lot of nice horses here this year, especially quality fillies with strong pedigrees,” commented Richardson. “I’ve purchased an O’Reilly filly, a Keeper filly and three Darci Brahma fillies, supporting New Zealand sires that are particularly strong currently.

“This is the right year to be buying here at Karaka for New Zealanders. With the increasing prizemoney and expanding bonus schemes such as the Karaka Million and Pearl Series there is plenty of upside to being based in New Zealand.”

Hong Kong’s presence has once again been solid, purchasing 16 yearlings for $3,410,000. The Hong Kong Jockey Club is currently the second leading buyer overall with eight Lots purchased for $1,985,000, including $400,000 paid for Lot 158, a Fastnet Rock colt out of Ocean Pearl.

A wide-ranging Australian buying bench has been active throughout the day, spending 35% of the total turnover, with Duncan Ramage’s DGR Thoroughbred Services and Gai Waterhouse Racing/James Harron Bloodstock amongst those featuring in the leading buyers for the day.

Rip Van Winkle is currently leading the first season sires list by aggregate and average with 16 Lots sold for $2,085,000 at an average price of $130,313. He is closely followed by Makfi with seven Lots sold for an average price of $126,429 with an aggregate total of $885,000.

Cambridge Stud has a chance to wrestle back its title as Leading Vendor by Aggregate with 17 yearlings sold for a total of $4,170,000, just a fraction ahead of Waikato Stud with $4,045,000. Cambridge Stud was outgunned at Karaka 2013 for the first time in 32 years when Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore Stud took the title of Leading Vendor by Aggregate.

“In a similar vein to the first day’s trade last year, the market heated up steadily as the day progressed,” commented NZB Co-Managing Director Petrea Vela. “There is an extremely broad international buying bench on site and active, and there were also some very encouraging signs from our local market with significantly increased activity from the same day last year. Overall there’s pleasing strength to the middle market as reflected in the increased median, and by all accounts tomorrow’s line-up should attract some great competition.” 

To view the passed in Lots, click here.

Selling continues on Day 2 of the Premier Sale tomorrow at 11am (from Lot 241), with coverage continuing live on Sky Sports 3 (NZ) and TVN (Australia), and also online at www.nzb.co.nz.

2014 Premier Sale Day Statistics Day 1
2014 Premier Sale Day 1   2013 Premier Sale Day 1
AGGREGATE $23,761,500 $25,490,500
AVERAGE $151,347 $161,332
MEDIAN $120,000 $117,500
CLEARANCE 72% 77%
CATALOGUED 240 220
SOLD 157 158
TOP LOT Fastnet Rock x Katie Lee (Lot 73) - $800,000 Fastnet Rock x Celebria (Lot 63) - $1,975,00
2014 Premier Sale Day 1 Top Lots
Lot Type Breeding Vendor Purchaser Price
73 B. C Fastnet Rock / Katie Lee Cambridge Stud Rogerson Bloodstock (Hamilton) $800,000
139 B. F Fastnet Rock / Miss Scarlatti Pencarrow Stud Mr T Magnier (NSW) $700,000
207 B. C Fastnet Rock / Randaroo Curraghmore Stud Mr DC Ellis (Te Akau) $680,000
182 BR. C Savabeel / Pins on Ice Waikato Stud Ltd B2B Bloodstock (NSW) $450,000
224 B. C Northern Meteor / Sahara Desert Lyndhurst Farm Mr M Chang (Hong Kong) $410,000
160 B. F Commands / Octapussy Cambridge Stud DGR Thoroughbred Services (NSW) $410,000
158 B. C Fastnet Rock / Ocean Pearl Curraghmore Stud The Hong Kong Jockey Club (Hong Kong) $400,000
127 B. F Fastnet Rock / Memories of You Curraghmore Stud Mr DC Ellis (Te Akau) $400,000
110 B. F Encosta de Lago / Love Diamonds Cambridge Stud DC Ellis/Tom Magnier (Te Akau) $400,000
35 BR. C O'Reilly / Grand Echezeaux Pencarrow Stud Mr DC Ellis (Te Akau) $370,000
Leading Purchasers by Aggregate
Purchaser Bought Aggregate Average Top Price
Mr DC Ellis (Te Akau) 25 $4,095,000 $163,800 $680,000 (Lot 207)
The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HK) 8 $1,985,000 $248,125 $400,000 (Lot 158)
Rogerson Bloodstock (Hamilton) 5 $1,295,000 $259,000 $800,000 (Lot 73)
DGR Thoroughbred Services (NSW) 4 $840,000 $210,000 $410,000 (Lot 160)
Gai Waterhouse Racing/James Harron B/S (NSW) 3 $730,000 $243,333 $320,000 (Lot 72)
Mr BJ & Mrs J Lindsay (Auckland) 3 $710,000 $236,667 $300,000 (Lot 240)
Mr T Magnier (NSW) 1 $700,000 $700,000 $700,000 (Lot 139)
Moody Racing (VIC) 4 $620,000 $155,000 $280,000 (Lot 28)
B2B Bloodstock (NSW) 2 $550,000 $275,000 $450,000 (Lot 182)
Mr GN Richardson (Matamata) 6 $550,000 $91,667 $150,000 (Lot 44)
Leading Vendors by Aggregate
Vendor Sold Aggregate Average Top Price
Cambridge Stud 17 $4,170,000 $245,294 $800,000 (Lot 73)
Waikato Stud Ltd 24 $4,045,000 $168,542 $450,000 (Lot 182)
Curraghmore Stud 10 $2,717,500 $271,750 $680,000 (Lot 207)
Pencarrow Stud 11 $2,260,000 $205,455 $700,000 (Lot 139)
Windsor Park Stud 11 $1,500,000 $136,364 $320,000 (Lot 72)
Little Avondale Stud 8 $1,150,000 $143,750 $260,000 (Lot 232)
Trelawney Stud Ltd 9 $955,000 $106,111 $160,000 (Lot 223)
Westbury Stud 10 $927,500 $92,750 $200,000 (Lot 55)
Lyndhurst Farm 6 $885,000 $147,500 $410,000 (Lot 224)
Haunui Farm 4 $580,000 $145,000 $250,000 (Lot 125)
Leading Vendors by Average (three or more sold)
Vendor Sold Average Aggregate Top Price
Curraghmore Stud 10 $271,750 $2,717,500 $680,000 (Lot 207)
Cambridge Stud 17 $245,294 $4,170,000 $800,000 (Lot 73)
Pencarrow Stud 11 $205,455 $2,260,000 $700,000 (Lot 139)
Waikato Stud Ltd 24 $168,542 $4,045,000 $450,000 (Lot 182)
Lyndhurst Farm 6 $147,500 $885,000 $410,000 (Lot 224)
Haunui Farm 4 $145,000 $580,000 $250,000 (Lot 125)
Little Avondale Stud 8 $143,750 $1,150,000 $260,000 (Lot 232)
Hallmark Stud 3 $136,667 $410,000 $310,000 (Lot 133)
Windsor Park Stud 11 $136,364 $1,500,000 $320,000 (Lot 72)
Wentwood Grange 3 $130,000 $390,000 $140,000 (Lot 32)
Leading Sires by Average (three or more sold)
Sire Sold Average Aggregate Top Price
Fastnet Rock 12 $347,500 $4,170,000 $800,000 (Lot 73)
Encosta de Lago 3 $236,667 $710,000 $400,000 (Lot 110)
High Chaparral 6 $210,000 $1,260,000 $320,000 (Lot 193, 72)
Zabeel 7 $188,571 $1,320,000 $320,000 (Lot 118)
Thorn Park 6 $188,333 $1,130,000 $310,000 (Lot 133)
Savabeel 17 $164,706 $2,800,000 $450,000 (Lot 182)
O'Reilly 17 $137,353 $2,335,000 $370,000 (Lot 35)
Rip Van Winkle 16 $130,313 $2,085,000 $250,000 (Lot 125)
Pins 11 $129,773 $1,427,500 $260,000 (Lot 232)
Makfi 7 $126,429 $885,000 $200,000 (Lot 55)