Snapshot of South Island Sale Success

Continuing on from the hype of Karaka 2018, the National Yearling Sales Series heads south with the South Island Sale set to offer a solid second round of pedigree on Friday 20 April.

In recent years, the Sale has delivered racetrack stars and has become known as a source of affordable horses with buyers experiencing a fast track to success. In the last five seasons the Sale has produced five individual Group winners and 15 individual stakes winners.

Wentwood Grange’s Perfectly Ready gelding Signify (NZ) sold for a very affordable $5,500 to owner/trainer Alex Cowan and put his name in lights when he dominated the field to win the 2017 Group 1 Telegraph Handicap. He finished that season with another win in the Listed Lightning Handicap. Placing twice from his last three starts earlier this year his career earnings total $361,111.

Blood Brotha (NZ) (Danzighill) and current Group winner Shadows Cast (NZ) (Per Incanto) were both offered at the Sale and extend the Group-winning form with victories in the Group 2 Wellington Cup and the Group 2 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile respectively. Blood Brotha contested the Wellington Cup with a Group 3 New Zealand Cup already under his belt.

Long Acres Stud’s $16,000 graduate Capone (NZ) (Al Akbar) made a swift start winning on debut as a two-year-old and went on to win the Group 3 Taranaki Cup and place in another two stakes races, while Three Valleys $9,000 graduate Natuzzi (NZ) (Coats Choice) bolstered the records with five stakes wins including the Group 3 Concorde Handicap.

At the Sale Signify, Natuzzi and Capone cost only $30,500 combined and collectively they have won $1.13 million in prizemoney - 37 times their combined purchase price.

This season so far the Sale has produced five individual stakes winners:

• Shadows Cast - Coupland’s Bakeries Mile
• Civil Disobedience (NZ) (Raise the Flag) – Tasmanian Derby
• Parthesia (NZ) (Raise the Flag) – Bagot Handicap
• Boots ‘n’ All (NZ) (Perfectly Ready) – Timaru Stakes
• Fully Funded (NZ) (Fully Fledged) – Counties Bowl Handicap

With results like that, no doubt buyers will be keen to assess the new crop of yearlings that will be on offer.

The Sale will be held at the Canterbury Agricultural Park in Christchurch with 121 horses catalogued – including 120 yearlings and one unraced gelding. There are a total of 28 vendors offering drafts this year with the progeny from a range of 44 sires.

Willow Glen’s Lot 62 is out of Group 2-winning mare Megapins (NZ) (Pins) while White Robe Lodge’s Lot 64 is out of the stakes winner Miss Millbrook (NZ) (No Excuse Needed). Siblings to Group winners include Seize the Moment (NZ) (Pins) (Lot 25) and Natuzzi (Lot 66) along with stakes winners Savour the Moment (NZ) (Savabeel) (Lot 25), Milo (NZ) (Coats Choice) (Lot 63), Quemar (NZ) (Haafiz) (Lot 78), Top Act (NZ) (O’Reilly) (Lot 92), Cherry Creek (Monashee Mountain) (Lot 98), and The Solitaire (NZ) (O’Reilly) (Lot 108).

You can view the catalogue online or request a copy from Faye Hunt at reception@nzb.co.nz. For travel and accommodation information contact Harry King at Harry.King@nzb.co.nz.