Pinhooking Gold Available in National Weanling Sale

Astute pinhookers have enjoyed rich rewards with weanlings purchased through New Zealand Bloodstock in recent years, and from June 11 to 21, the National Weanling Sale on Gavelhouse Plus promises to deliver more of the same.

Over the last few editions of the Karaka May Sale and its predecessor the National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale, there is a long list of pinhook purchases who fetched significantly higher prices at the National Yearling Sales Series or Ready to Run Sale.

Multiple Group One winners Gingernuts (NZ) (Iffraaj) and Yourdeel (NZ) (Dundeel) are two prominent members of that group. 

Gingernuts was a $5000 purchase by Phill Cataldo in 2014, then sold for $42,500 to Te Akau’s David Ellis at the 2015 Ready to Run Sale. He won six of his 12 starts and more than $1.2 million, headed by the Group One New Zealand Derby (2400m), Rosehill Guineas (2000m) and Windsor Park Plate (1600m).

A couple of years later, Yourdeel was bought for $30,000 at the 2017 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale. He was a $100,000 purchase by Chris Rutten during Book 1 of Karaka 2018, and he became New Zealand’s champion two-year-old with victories in the Group One Sistema Stakes (1200m) and Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).

But there have been many other exceptional pinhooking results.

At the 2018 May Sale, Hallmark Stud paid $170,000 to buy a Written Tycoon colt out of Into the Groove (Redoute’s Choice), from the draft of respected vendor Dan Myers. 

The colt later sold for $475,000 as a yearling at Karaka 2019 and joined the powerful Te Akau team.  Named Press Baron, he has made two trial appearances to date for two stylish wins.

Another successful pinhook at the 2018 May Sale was a So You Think colt out of Saint Angers (Redoute’s Choice), bought by Beaufort Downs for $54,000. He was a $200,000 purchase at Karaka 2019 by Queensland’s Ontrack Thoroughbreds.

One of the biggest pinhooking success stories from last year’s May Sale was a Proisir colt from Works Wonders (NZ) (Darci Brahma) who was bought by David Goldsbury for $40,000. The colt caught the eye of Hong Kong’s Upper Bloodstock at Karaka 2020 and was sold for $180,000.

Hallmark Stud enjoyed another big result with a Divine Prophet filly out of Startina (Starcraft) who they bought for $60,000 and later sold to Queensland’s Archer Park Racing for $180,000.

Cambridge couple Nick Fairweather and Nicole Brown are relative newcomers to pinhooking and sales preparation, but they have been quick to make their mark under their Carlaw Park banner.

At the 2018 May Sale, they paid $45,000 for a Mongolian Khan colt from Phocis (Encosta de Lago), who later joined Chris Waller’s stable with a $200,000 price tag at Karaka 2019.

Their 2019 purchases included an Iffraaj colt out of Diva Down Under (Exceed and Excel), who cost $65,000 and was later bought by Hong Kong’s Ricky Yiu for $180,000 at Karaka 2020.

Barry Beatson enjoyed an extraordinary pinhooking result with Sunny Power (NZ), a Tavistock colt out of Bantry Bay who he bought for just $400 at the 2014 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale. He sold the colt at the Ready to Run Sale 18 months later and fetched a massive $250,000.

All weanlings offered at the National Weanling Sale will be eligible for the lucrative Karaka Million Series featuring two $1 million races available for graduates as two and three-year-olds, plus the $100,000 CollinsonForex Karaka Cup for the duration of their career.

To nominate your weanlings, please visit NZB’s online portal at portal.nzb.co.nz. For full instructions on how to use the online entry, click here.

Entries for the National Weanling Sale in conjunction with Gavelhouse Plus remain open to all vendors until 5pm, Wednesday 10 June.

For more information about the Sale, contact NZB Sales Representative Kane Jones (+64 27  274 4985 or email kane.jones@nzb.co.nz).