NZB’s South Island Sale Catalogue Available Now

The catalogue for New Zealand Bloodstock’s South Island Sale can be viewed online now and will be hitting letterboxes early next week.

Yearlings make up the largest percentage of the South Island Sale catalogue with the National Yearling Sales Series: South Island Session opening the day’s selling on Friday 17 April at the Canterbury Agricultural Park in Christchurch followed by the mixed bloodstock session.

An added benefit of the inclusion of the South Island Session in the National Yearling Sale Series is that any yearling purchased or passed in is eligible to enter the lucrative Karaka Million Series, including the $1m Karaka Million – New Zealand’s richest race – in 2016, the $250,000 Karaka 3YO Mile in 2017, and the $100,000 Karaka Stayers Cup from 2018 and then for the duration of their racing careers.

This year’s South Island Sale has 106 entries including a selection of 98 yearlings, two-year-old’s (1), unraced stock (2) and broodmares (5).

The 2014-15 season has seen South Island Sale graduates enjoying international success with Absolutely (NZ) (Coats Choice), winning the Spg-3 Three Rings Trophy in Singapore and Eclair Samba (NZ) (Ekraar) winning the Listed Birthday Cup in Australia.

Natuzzi (NZ) (Coats Choice) also continues to feature as a successful graduate of the South Island Sale, achieving his fourth stakes win on Boxing Day at Ellerslie in the Listed Newmarket Handicap, along with two Group 1 second placings this season.

The Sale has produced 20 stakes wins in the last five years with Pizzazz (NZ) (Bertolini), Capone (NZ) (Al Akbar), Marencumbae-Martin (Sing.) (NZ) (Colombia) and Blood Brotha (NZ) (Danzighill) amongst recent winners. 

The 2014 edition was headed by White Robe Lodge when they topped the Sale as leading vendor by aggregate and leading vendor by average (three or more sold). White Robe Lodge’s resident stallion Raise the Flag also was the leading sire by average (three or more sold) with his top price reaching $48,000 – the second highest purchase price of the Sale.

There are a total of 29 vendors this year with Berkley Stud, home of Coats Choice, presenting the largest draft with 11 yearlings followed by White Robe Lodge with nine yearlings.

A range of 37 sires are represented by their yearling progeny, including freshman sires Dalghar (1), Uncle Mo (1) and Zacinto (6). Two resident South Island stallions carry the largest drafts in the catalogue, Raise the Flag (10) and Coats Choice (9).

Leading New Zealand sires Savabeel (1), Iffraaj (2), Pins (1) and the sire of the 2015 Karaka Million winner Showcasing (6) are also represented by progeny at the Sale.

To request a catalogue for New Zealand Bloodstock’s South Island Sale, contact Faye Hunt at reception@nzb.co.nz or for news of Sale information visit www.nzb.co.nz.