A diverse international buying bench featured strongly throughout the day bringing highly regarded results during Day 1 of the Ready to Run Sale of Two Year Olds .
The Sale recorded the highest ever average at a two-year-old sale in Australasia today, breaking the record set at the end of the 2016 NZB Ready to Run Sale and firmly cementing its position as the leading sale of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
Hong Kong buyers were active early in the day and the momentum continued with the top price coming mid-day when Regal Farm's Lot 106 met competitive bidding. The son of Hinchinbrook was knocked down to David Lui and Karl Chan of Hong Kong-based Sweetbriar Equine for $460,000.
Lui indicated the colt would remain in New Zealand to be pre-trained, with several options as to where his racing career will be aimed.
"I think he will be an early runner. He breezed well and we like the pedigree," Lui said.
"Hinchinbrook is going very well in Hong Kong and we think his popularity will continue to grow."
Hong Kong bloodstock agent Willie Leung, who works closely with the pair, reiterated his appreciation of the colt.
"The sale this year is very strong and it was a hard fight to buy the horse which is an indication of how many good judges were keen on him," Leung said.
"He seems to be a nice relaxed type that will suit the Hong Kong racing environment. I think that is one of the major selling points from this sale in that it always seems to produce horses that go to Hong Kong and perform extremely well."
Amongst the many Hong Kong buyers today was Ricky Yiu who secured three two-year-olds totalling $560,000 in receipts, all over $100,000 and the highest priced at $280,000 for JK Farm'sLot 61.
With increases to the aggregate, average and clearance rate, the first day of selling has surpassed results of last year's Day 1. With 60 fewer horses catalogued today compared with the first day of last year's Sale, the aggregate for Day 1 finished at $15,690,500 increasing by over $1,000,000 for 145 lots sold. The average increased by 7% reaching $108,210 and the clearance rate settled at 75%.
NZB's Bloodstock Sales Manager Danny Rolston is pleased with where the results are at after Day 1 and is looking forward to tomorrow's offerings.
"The buying bench at Karaka has reinforced how important the Sale is on the international sale calendar," commented Rolston.
A reduction in the number of horses catalogued contributed to a healthy clearance rate on par with 2015. With key indicators better than last year, the vendors have been well rewarded for their hard work."
The Australian buying bench continued to strengthen throughout the day with their purchases accounting for 34% ($5,302,500 for 50 horses) - marginally ahead of Hong Kong at 32% ($5,063,000 for 24 horses).
Domestic buyers' presence was similar with last year purchasing 47 horses for a total spend of $3,884,500 and accounting for 25% of today's aggregate.
The leading buyer of the day was Te Akau Racing's David Ellis who purchased nine horses for $1,510,000, with a top price of $350,000 paid for Lyndhurst Farm'sLot 192.
The leading vendor by aggregate was Regal Farm with nine two-year-olds selling for an aggregate of $1,525,000.
For the second consecutive year Lyndhurst Farm were the leading vendor by average (three or more sold) with five horses sold for an average of $286,000.
The leading sire by average (three or more sold) was Fastnet Rock with three lots sold for an average of $203,333.
Day 2 of the Ready to Run Sale will commence tomorrow from 11am at Karaka, with all lots being streamed live online atwww.nzb.co.nz.
2017 Ready to Run Sale Statistics - Day One
| 2017 DAY ONE | 2016 DAY ONE | |
| AGGREGATE | $15,690,500 | $14,610,500 |
| AVERAGE | $108,210 | $101,462 |
| MEDIAN | $65,000 | $70,000 |
| CLEARANCE | 75% | 57% |
| CATALOGUED | 220 | 280 |
| SOLD | 145 | 144 |
| TOP LOT | $460,000 (B. C) Hinchinbrook (AUS) – El Ashb (IRE) Lot 106 | $650,000 (Ch.C Sebring x Joleur) Lot 280 |
Top Lots
| LOT | TYPE | BREEDING | VENDOR | PURCHASER | PRICE |
| 106 | B.C | Hinchinbrook / El Ashb | Regal Farm | Sweetbriar Equine (Hong Kong) | $460,000 |
| 174 | B.C | Fastnet Rock / Jolie's Shinju | Curraghmore | Mark Pilkington Management / Lindsay Park Racing (VIC) | $400,000 |
| 165 | B.C | Tavistock / Indian Song | Anzac Lodge | Mr Me Tsui (Hong Kong) | $375,000 |
| 80 | BR.G | Smart Missile / Cyclone Stacey | Lyndhurst Farm | George Moore Bloodstock (Hong Kong) | $350,000 |
| 139 | BR.G | Pins / Genius | Leanach Lodge | Mr EHT Hung (Hong Kong) | $350,000 |
| 192 | BR.G | Savabeel / La Belle Epoque | Lyndhurst Farm | Mr DC Ellis (Te Akau) | $350,000 |
| 199 | G.C | Reliable Man / La Grande Dame | Phoenix Park | Gai Waterhouse Racing / Bluesky Bloodstock (NSW) | $310,000 |
| 200 | BR.C | Savabeel / La Praline | Kilmore Farm | Mr Eric HP Wong (Hong Kong) | $310,000 |
| 10 | B.C | Tavistock / Alleyrun | Ohukia Lodge | Busuttin Racing & Tim Scales (VIC) | $300,000 |
| 98 | B.C | Hinchinbrook / Downstream | Lyndhurst Farm | Mr KP Fung (Hong Kong) | $300,000 |
| 136 | B.C | Medaglia d'Oro / Gaudeamus | Riversley Park | Mr F Lui (Hong Kong) | $300,000 |
