Day 1 of New Zealand Bloodstock'sReady to Run Sale of 2YO's closed in a flurry of fierce bidding today, resulting in two record prices achieved in quick succession.
The new record Sale price of $650,000 came with the final horse of the day, Lyndhurst Farm's Lot 280, knocked down to the bid of Toby Koenig on behalf of Ultra Thoroughbreds. The Sebring colt is out of Joleur, the well-related dam of multiple stakes winners, and is a brother in blood to Criterion.
Delighted with the purchase, Koenig confirmed that the colt will head to Melbourne next week with the trainer yet to be decided.
"We knew we would need to dig into our pockets, and the competition was strong with three bidders who made us work for it, but he's a stunning animal and the best in the Sale for us.
"We are very, very happy with this result. We came here to buy three to five horses and have come away with three today so it has been a good day for us."
The second top price of the day was achieved less than half an hour earlier with Waikato Stud's Lot 263 fetching the then record-breaking price of $580,000. The O'Reilly colt is out of Savabeel mare Honolulu, a half-sister to Alamosa, and was knocked down to the partnership of Ciaron Maher Bloodstock, Bruce Perry Bloodstock and Waterford Bloodstock.
Citing success with previous purchases he has made at the Ready to Run Sale, Maher was pleased to secure the colt.
"Last year I made my first two purchases from this Sale and they are both going to be nice horses so that's why we've come back.
"This is the horse that I came for, he's a lovely moving horse and he's got a big page. I also place a lot of emphasis on temperament and he's got a great temperament."
The first day of selling has seen significant increases to the aggregate, average and median compared with Day 1 of last year's record-breaking Sale. The turnover for the day was $14,610,500, an increase of $4.4 million, for 144 horses sold - 32 more lots than Day 1 last year. The average has increased 11% to $101,462 while the median was up 8% to $70,000.
NZB's Managing Director Andrew Seabrook is pleased with the day's results and looking forward to Day 2 tomorrow.
"It's encouraging that the average and median have increased significantly as it was always going to be challenging offering 150 horses more than last year's record-breaking Sale. The clearance rate is disappointing and that is something we will be working hard to increase over the coming day.
"Traditionally at this Sale we have seen the second day increase in strength and we hope to see that trend continue tomorrow."
A large number of Australian buyers are active at the Sale and currently lead the buying bench with their purchases accounting for a significant 40% ($5,813,500) of today's turnover compared with 25% on Day 1 last year. Domestic buyers have also been more active, accounting for 29% ($4,179,500) of today's aggregate up from 22% last year.
The leading buyer of the day was Te Akau Racing's David Ellis who purchased six horses for $1,095,000, with a top price of $280,000 paid for Prima Park's Lot 41.
Mark and Shelley Treweek's Lyndhurst Farm are the leading vendor by aggregate and average (with three or more sold), selling 11 two-year-olds for $2,591,000, including the record-breaking top priced Lot 280.
The leading sire by average (with three or more sold) is currently Sebring with three of his progeny selling for an average of $390,000.
Day 2 of the Ready to Run Sale will commence at 10am tomorrow at Karaka, with all lots being streamed live online at www.nzb.co.nz.
2016 Ready to Run Sale Statistics - Day One
| 2016 DAY ONE | 2015 DAY ONE | |
| AGGREGATE | $14,610,500 | $10,196,000 |
| AVERAGE | $101,462 | $91,036 |
| MEDIAN | $70,000 | $65,000 |
| CLEARANCE | 57% | 74% |
| CATALOGUED | 280 | 200 |
| SOLD | 144 | 112 |
| TOP LOT | $650,000 (Ch.C Sebring x Joleur) Lot 280 | $340,000 (B.C Sebring x Brilliant Jewel) Lot 184 |
Top Lots
| Lot | Type | Breeding | Vendor | Purchaser | Price |
| 280 | Ch.C | Sebring / Joleur | Lyndhurst Farm | TK Racing (VIC) | $650,000 |
| 263 | BR.C | O'Reilly / Honolulu | Waikato Stud | Ciaron Maher Bloodstock/Bruce Perry Bloodstock/Waterford Bloodstock (VIC) | $580,000 |
| 148 | Ch.C | Sebring / Crafty Irna | Lyndhurst Farm | Gary Chan (Hong Kong) | $400,000 |
| 96 | B.C | I Am Invincible / Calemore | Lyndhurst Farm | Michael Stedman Bloodstock (NSW) | $380,000 |
| 20 | Ch.C | Starcraft / Vortex | Leanach Lodge | Mr R Yiu (Hong Kong) | $360,000 |
| 67 | B.C | Snitzel / Aussie Christmas | Kilmore Farm | Anton Koolman Bloodstock (NSW) | $340,000 |
| 41 | B.C | Savabeel / Ahna | Prima Park | Mr DC Ellis (Te Akau) | $280,000 |
| 55 | G.C | Dalghar / Appleton's Lass | Diamond Lodge | Mr J Goh (Singapore) | $280,000 |
| 52 | B.C | Tavistock / Anzac Green | Kilmore Farm | Busuttin Racing/Cameron Cooke Bloodstock (VIC) | $250,000 |
| 89 | B.C | Savabeel / Brazen | Kilmore Farm | Busuttin Racing (VIC) | $240,000 |
