RTR 2005 Starts This Week
9 November 2005
With days to go until the Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, interest is mounting in the 365-strong catalogue on offer. Horses will start to arrive later this week, with buyers from Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Korea, Macau and Malaysia already confirmed to arrive at Karaka in the coming days.
This Sale is forging a reputation as the best breeze up sale in the southern hemisphere. Top performing horses like Perlin, Century Kid, San Luis, Torlesse and Bodie have proven its merits, with promising gallopers such as Jadescent, All's Well, Town of Fionn and Kounthekash looking to continue the winning form from this Sale.
This year sees 216 Select Session and 149 General Session entries set to go under the hammer from 11am on 15 & 16 November.
New Zealand Bloostock's Marketing & PR Manager, Petrea Vela, comments, "The quality of our Ready to Run catalogue keeps improving year upon year, and the Sale has attracted a particularly strong selection of two year olds this year. With 365 entries the Sale is larger than the past few years, but the quality hasn't been sacrificed. We have some very appealing pedigrees and, as we saw at the breeze ups, there is a range of classy types so with more than 80 sires represented there is a depth to the catalogue to appeal to a wide selection of buyers."
"Our staff have been throughout Australia and Asia over the past weeks canvassing support for the Sale and we are encouraged by the level of interest indicated. We have seen over the past few sales at Karaka that buyers have got more selective in their buying but we are confident there is still a good market for well-bred, athletic and well-presented horses. Last year our Sale average was NZ$44,700 and we are optomistic that we can see some good results again next week."
This year's catalogue features a number of two year olds well-related to horses with recent success on the racetrack:
Lot 8 - Traditionally x Rory's Helen (by Rory's Jester): Top performing juvenile with two Group 1 placings last season, Wahid (Almutawakel) added a fourth win to his credit over 1200m last week. He has a half-brother in the Sale offered by Lyndhurst Farm.
Lot 13 - Pentire x Rule Brittania (by Crested Wave): Full sister to this gelding, Pentazia, has won her last two starts in a row over 1200m, with close relative Juicy Fruit Mambo (Bahhare) securing a last start win over 2200m.
Lot 18 - O'Reilly x Salimha (by Kinjite): The sensational sprinter, Glamour Puss (Tale of the Cat), recorded a Group 1 victory in the Seppelt Salinger VRC Stakes on 29 October, followed immediately by a Group 2 win. She is related to this bay gelding offered by Gosford Park.
Lot 61 - Black Minnaloushe x Vinci (by Vain): This filly offered by Sally's Stables is from the family of three year old filly, Seachange (Cape Cross), the impressive winner of the Gr.1 New Zealand Bloodstock One Thousand Guineas at Riccarton on Saturday who is now unbeaten in four starts.
Lot 114 - Red Ransom x Darkwood Beach (by Sir Tristram): The bay colt from Anzac lodge is from the family of Champion Australian 2YO, Fashions Afield (Redoute's Choice), winner of the Gr.1 AJC Sires Produce last season and the Gr.1 AJC Sydney City Lexus Flight Stakes last month.
Lot 189 - Danasinga x Midnight Babe (by Kaapstad): The dam of this filly offered by Haunui Farm is a sister to Midnight Madam, the dam of Perlin (Carnegie), winner of the Gr.1 MRC Underwood Stakes in September.
Lot 249 - Fantastic Light x Trewornan (by Midyan): This bay colt is from the family of stakeswinner in the USA, Rochester (Green Dancer), who collected more black type with a Group 3 placing followed by a Group 3 win in the Keeneland Sycamore Stakes in October.
Sire Selection
With over 80 sires represented, there is a wide selection of both international and local pedigrees to appeal to a variety of buyers combining to produce the strongest catalogue seen from this Sale. Some exciting recent performances include:
Cambridge Stud shuttle sire Stravinsky has had sensational success recently with a decisive win by three year old filly, Serenade Rose, in the Gr.1 VRC Crown Oaks at Flemington last week. Stravinsky is represented by three two year olds.
Waikato Stud sire, Pins, has been firing with a second Group 1 winner to his credit with El Segundo's win in the Gr.1 MRS Yulumba Caulfield Stakes in October. Pins' first Group 1 winner was 2004 Caulfield Guineas winner, Econsul. Pins has eight entries in the Sale.
Windsor Park Stud shuttler, Montjeu, has had a phenomenal season in the Northern Hemisphere with both the English and Irish Derby winners, and the recent Gr.1 Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe winner, Hurricane Run. In New Zealand, promising three year old filly, Mystify, secured black type with a second placing at Canterbury in October. Montjeu has six sale entries.
Also at Windsor Park Stud is first season sire by Storm Cat, Black Minnaloushe, who has had his first two year olds to the track with promising results. The Paul Moroney-trained, Joker's Wild, put in a bold performance last month to record a Listed second placing behind hotshot two year old, Don Garcia. Black Minnaloushe has ten entries in the Sale.
Previous shuttler to New Zealand, Elnadim, is the sire of exciting, recent Group 1 winner, the Bart Cummings-trained, Pendragon. A graduate of Karaka, the three year old had a Group 3 win in the Gloaming Stakes in September followed by a second placing in the Group 1 AJC Spring Champion Stakes, then a win in the Group 3 Norman Robinson Stakes. Pendragon ran a creditable fourth in the Group 1 VRC Derby last week. Elnadim has three two year olds from his last New Zealand crop entered for sale.
Leading first season sire in the Northern Hemisphere, Bertolini has already recorded a Group 1 winner from his first crop when Donna Blini won the Newmarket Cheveley Park Stakes earlier in the season. Xbert became the first winner for the Rich Hill Stud sire in the Southern Hemsiphere with a three length win at her second start in October. Bertolini has seven entries in the Sale.
Another promising sire with his first crop to the tracks this season is Postponed. Formerly at Fayette Park Stud, Postponed is now a resident sire at the Stoney Bridge stallion station in Auckland. He had his first winner when Ifionlyhadtime recorded a half length win in a 880m juvenile event early last month. This followed a second placing on debut behind Don Garcia. Postponed has six entries in the Sale.
Leading sire of the Festival Yearling Sale earlier in the year, Hallmark Stud sire, Spectatorial, had a boom start to his stallion career with his first two year old winner recording an impressive result at Te Rapa a fortnight ago. Blue Skies blitzed her rivals with a convincing one and a half length win on debut. Spectatorial has nine in next week's Sale.
The full list of Select Session sires in 2005 is as follows:
Agnes World, Al Akbar (AUS), Align (AUS), Aristotle (IRE), Bertolini (USA), Black Minnaloushe (USA), Brief Truce (USA), Cape Cross (IRE), Carnegie (IRE), Catbird (AUS), Centaine (AUS), Chief Bearhart (CAN), City on a Hill (USA), Clang (AUS), Commands (AUS), Cullen (AUS), Daggers Drawn (USA), Danasinga (AUS), Danehill (USA), Dangerous (AUS), Danske, Danzighill (AUS), Deputy Governor (USA), Desert Fox (GB), Desert Prince (IRE), Ebony Grosve, Electronic Zone (USA), Elnadim (USA), Faltaat (USA), Fantastic Light (USA), Fasliyev (USA), Felix the Cat (USA), Fuji Kiseki (JPN), Fusaichi Pegasus (USA), Galileo (IRE), Generous (IRE), Giant's Causeway(USA), Gilded Time (USA), Grand Lodge (USA), Green Perfume (USA), High Yield (USA), Howbaddouwantit (USA), Hurricane Sky (AUS), Indian Danehill (IRE), Istidaad (USA), Johan Cruyff (GB), Kaapstad, Kashani (USA), Keeper (AUS), Kilimanjaro (GB), King Charlemagne (USA), King Cugat (USA), Langfuhr (CAN), Magic Albert (AUS), Minardi (USA), Monolith (AUS), Montjeu (IRE), O'Reilly, Orpen (USA), Painted Black (JPN), Pentire (GB), Perugino (USA), Pins (AUS), Postponed (USA), Quest for Fame (GB), Racer's Edge (AUS), Raise a Grand (IRE), Red Ransom (USA), Sakura Seeking (USA), Sandtrap (USA), Shinko Forest (IRE), Shinko King (IRE), Spectatorial (AUS), Spectrum (IRE), Spinning World (USA), Stark South (USA), Star Way (GB), St. Petersburg (AUS), Strategic (AUS), Stravinsky (USA), Towkay (AUS), Traditionally (USA), Tribu (AUS), Victory Dance (IRE), Volksraad (GB), Way of Light (USA), With Class (CAN), Zabeel.
320 horses breezed up at Te Rapa racecourse in October with clips now available on video, CD and DVD for viewing prior to Sale. Clips can also be viewed online at www.nzb.co.nz, plus flat screen computers in New Zealand Bloodstock's 'cyber-cafe' will be set up at Karaka in the few days leading into the Sale.