Stand-Out Selection at 2006 Ready to Run Sale
9 October 2006
A stand-out catalogue has been assembled for this year's Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, with 333 lots entered for the two-day Sale on 21 & 22 November.
This year sees more than 30 entries out of stakes winning mares, or half-brothers or sisters to black type winners.
Amongst these are a half-brother to New Zealand's newly crowned Champion Two-Year-Old, Joker's Wild (Black Minnaloushe - Miss Rory). The colt, at Lot 201, is by young New Zealand sire, Don Eduardo, out of a winning Rory's Jester mare.
Yearlings from Don Eduardo's first crop were sold at Karaka earlier this year for an average price of $47,750 and a top price of $180,000 for a filly out of Kings Island mare, Miss Bailey. Don Eduardo is represented by eight in the Sale, including a colt from Group 1 winning mare, Dolcezza, at Lot 88, and a colt from a half-sister to Group 1 winner, Bodie, at Lot 296.
Joker's Wild's sire, Black Minnaloushe, a dual Group 1 winner in Europe with an annual time form rating of 123, is represented by three in the Sale.
Graham and Helen-Gaye Bax's Blandford Lodge has a prominent entry, with the only colt entered by champion sire, Zabeel, from Group 1 winning mare, Maurine (by Harbor Prince) at Lot 191. Maurine has produced four winners from six to race, including Group 3 winner, Anatomy (by Thunder Gulch), and Listed winner, Aeroforce One (by Marscay).
Half-brothers in the Sale to Group 1 winners include a colt by Van Nistelrooy out of Riverly Lass (by Gleam Machine) the dam of Group 1 winning Singapore Horse of the Year, Zirna (Deputy Governor) at Lot 265.
Van Nistelrooy's first 24 yearlings through the ring at Karaka this year averaged $58,681, with a top price of $160,000. He is represented by 10 in the Sale including entries from the families of Group 1 winners Love Dance, Allez Suez and Clear Rose.
The leading New Zealand based first crop sire with yearlings sold at Karaka earlier this year was No Excuse Needed, with 25 sold for an average of $83,500. The Waikato Stud based sire is represented by five in the Sale.
Also well represented are leading New Zealand sires including O'Reilly (8) Pentire (8), Pins (7), Stravinsky (4) and Volksraad (10).
The Sale will also feature:
- Close relatives to stakeswinners such as Cheiron, Eloa, Hulachine, Okabango, Purde, Theatre of Dreams and Spring Rain;
- Entries from the families of Al Mansour, Allez Suez, Balanchine, Envoy, Gee I Jane, Horlicks, King of Ashford, Lotteria, Recurring, Scintillation and Shania Dane, Sphenophyta, Sunline and Toledo;
- Plus progeny of group winning mares such as Balinchy, Balmacara, Sustaad, Scarlet Runner, Rhythm, Penny Arcade, (Our) Dynamic Lady.
Of this year's total entries, 80 are also eligible to nominate for the final running of the New Zealand Bloodstock $500,000 2YO Classique at Te Rapa racecourse in 2007. This will take place on 3 February following the conclusion of the Premier and Select sessions of next year's National Yearling Sales Series.
Last year's Ready to Run Sale has already produced some promising performers, both in New Zealand and elsewhere. These include stakes placed performers Electrostatic (Elnadim - Echostatic) and Brendel (O'Reilly - Negra Bunita), and the two-race winner Magic Cape (Magic Albert - Cape City). Both Electrostatic and Magic Cape have relatives in the Sale.
In Hong Kong, All's Well (City on a Hill - Alot of Music) has been carving a hasty path through the grades with six wins from eleven starts. Trained by Danny Shum for Darin Leung, the four-year-old narrowly missed out on the title of Most Improved Horse in Hong Kong last season, finishing one point behind fellow Kiwi, Armada (Towkay - Dance in Time).
Also showing promise is Able One (Cape Cross - Gardenia) the highest priced lot of the 2004 Sale. Bought by Beamish Bloodstock from Phoenix Park for $270,000, the gelding has now won three from six career starts, plus two placings in Hong Kong under the guidance of trainer, John Moore.
In Macau, Crown's Master (Last Tycoon - Ranghiroah) is now a winner of seven from ten starts including the main sprint event of the new season, the Macau Agile Property Cup (1000m) on 23 September. Trained by Joe Lau, the five-year-old was bought by Russell Cameron for $70,000 from Anzac Lodge.
The Sale also boasts two Group 1 winning graduates over the past season, in Perlin (Carnegie x Midnight Madam) and Marju Snip (Marju x Aulide). Perlin, the second highest priced lot of the Sale in 2001 at NZ$200,000, was a winner of the MRC Underwood Stakes (1800m), with Marju Snip the winner of the Schweppes Australasian Oaks earlier this year.
A change to the format sees all horses offered together in a single sales session instead of the Select and General Session distinction adopted here previously.
NZB Marketing Manager Petrea Vela explains, "As the entries were rolling in it was clear that we had a good, even spread of quality that was going to make selecting for Select and General sessions very difficult. After discussion with some of our leading Ready to Run vendors, we agreed that the best solution was to do away with the distinction this year and offer all horses in a single session over the two days."
Horses will breeze-up over 200m at the Waikato Racing Club's Te Rapa racecourse on 26 & 27 October with DVDs and CD-Roms available upon request from NZB. Breeze up clips will also be available online at www.nzb.co.nz.