At A Glance
A colt by Wandjina proved the equal top lot on the final day of selling, with Lot 826 going to Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott for NZ$150,000.
First-season stallion Satono Aladdin (Jpn) also had a colt sell for NZ$150,000, with Singapore buyer Joseph Pang striking late for Lot 908.
Upper Bloodstock and Phill Cataldo continued their busy week buying colts by Belardo (Ire) and Per Incanto (USA) for NZ$140,000 and NZ$130,000 respectively.
Book 2's average lifted to NZ$41,759 from NZ$35,012 in 2020.
The median of Book 2 also rose, ending at NZ$30,000, up from NZ$25,000 last year.
The clearance rate ended the day around 76 per cent, again an improvement on 69 per cent in 2020.
Overall Book 2 aggregate was NZ$8.85 million, down from over NZ$10 million last year, which featured a larger offering.
Wandjina colt gives Richardson a big return
Wexford Stables' Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott went to NZ$150,000 to secure Lot 826, a colt by Newgate's Wandjina out of Home Alone (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}) offered by Heidi Richardson.
With a 3 x 3 cross to Last Tycoon (Ire), the pedigree page also features Listed winners Ritzy Lady (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) and Playful Fingers (NZ) (Defensive Play {USA}) as well as the stakes-winning 2-year-old Clever Zoe (NZ) (Pompei Court {USA}) and the influential broodmare Girl Hussler (Hussonet {USA}), who among her three stakes winners, produced the Group 1 winner Manuel (Commands).
Te Awamutu breeder Richardson had purchased Home Alone for just $900 through the Inglis Digital Sale in 2018.
Heidi Richardson (second from left) with her parents Ron and Beth Richardson pose alongside handler Liam Cunningham and Lot 826
“I am blown away,” she said. “I actually bought the mare online in Australia and I really liked her bloodlines.
“She got sent up to my brother, Blair Richardson, in the Hunter Valley. He is a breaker and pre-trainer at Vantage Hill.
“I had a quick five-minute conversation with him and next minute I flew over there to find a stallion to put her to.
“I went to Newgate and liked Wandjina on type and she got in foal first pop."
Aladdin colt headed to Singapore
Rich Hill Stud's freshman Satono Aladdin (Jpn) has proven popular at Karaka all week, with a top price of NZ$360,000 for one of his colts in Book 1.
The top price in Book 2 was for Lot 908, with Singaporean buyer Joseph Pang paying NZ$150,000 for the colt on offer from Ardsley Stud, taking the total spend on the stallion in the secondary book to NZ$571,500.
The powerfully built bay colt is out of My Hope (NZ) (Howbaddoyouwantit {USA}), the half-sister to stakes winners Exinite (NZ) (Lord Ballina) and Vitrinite (NZ) (Lord Ballina).
My Hope has also produced the winners La Jolie Fille (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}) and Tormino (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) and is from the extended family of multiple Group 1 winner Royal Magic (NZ) (Lord Ballina).
Lot 908 - Satono Aladdin (Jpn) x My Hope (NZ) (colt)
Ardsley Stud principal Jim Wallace was delighted with the price for the colt from the first crop of the son of Deep Impact (Jpn).
“This colt was one of the best horses I’ve ever put through a sale,” he said.
“He is an absolutely outstanding individual. He probably doesn’t have a NZ$150,000 pedigree but he is a NZ$150,000 colt on type.
“He was very popular in his parades and had 15-16 hits on his x-rays. You know there is something about a horse when a number of good judges are hanging around until so late in the Sale.”
NZB delighted with Sale
NZB’s Managing Director Andrew Seabrook said the Sale had backed up the positive mood in the market heading into 2021.
“The amazing success of Book 2 illustrates the increasing confidence in the New Zealand domestic market,” he said.
“Book 2 figures usually mirror Book 1, so to see the significant increase in average and median over the past two days is very encouraging going forward.”
“Book 2 figures usually mirror Book 1, so to see the significant increase in average and median over the past two days is very encouraging going forward.” - Andrew Seabrook
“We are very thankful for the support we have received from our domestic market on the ground here at Karaka, as well as our international markets who were active via our online bidding platform.
“We must give full credit to our vendors who took things to the next level this year, allowing buyers to have full confidence in our Sale,” Seabrook added.
Cataldo keeps spending
Bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo had a big few days and was still going in the final session, sending a pair of colts by Belardo (Ire) and Per Incanto (USA) to Hong Kong.
Lot 843, a Belardo colt on offer from Little Avondale Stud, was snapped up for NZ$140,000 by a combination of Upper Bloodstock, Legends Bloodstock, Regal Farm and Cataldo.
He is out the unraced Keepabreak (NZ) (Keeper), the half-sister to Hong Kong Listed winner More Bountiful (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy {USA}) from the family of Group 2 winner Riomoral (NZ) (Captain Rio {GB}).
Earlier, Cataldo and Upper Bloodstock came together on Lot 785, the colt by Per Incanto, offered by Ardsley Stud, paying NZ$130,000 for him.
He is a son of the mare Enyanna Marie (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}), the daughter of multiple stakes winner Yanna Marie (NZ) (Lord Ballina).
“Before the Sale I thought we might be able to get around NZ$70,000 for the colt,” Ardsley Stud's Wallace said.
“Once I saw how the Per Incantos were going I said to the owner that he would make NZ$120,000 and he exceeded that.
“We had thirteen altogether over the whole Sale and I think we have got them all away bar one. We have had a very good sale overall.”
Moroney takes Book 2 total to seven
Bloodstock agent Paul Moroney might not have been at the Sale, but took his total purchases to 17, with seven from Book 2, including Lot 794, a colt by Tivaci offered by Waikato Stud, and bought for NZ$110,000.
It proved to be one of the feelgood stories of the Sale with Waikato Stud staff members Andre Anderson and Anna Poyhonen having purchased the colt for just NZ$3500 from a Gavelhouse.com sale as a weanling.
"I had quite a special connection with him. I foaled him down and always, always loved him and when he came around to the Sale, Andre and I took a liking to him and thought we'd give it a go," Poyhonen said.
"The result is just absolutely unbelievable really. We just wanted him to be sold for a decent price and what he has made is quite incredible."
The colt is out of Florist (Savabeel), an unraced daughter of G1 AJC Oaks heroine Daffodil (NZ) (No Excuse Needed {GB}) and was led through the ring by Anderson.
Andre Anderson with Lot 794 - Tivaci x Florist (colt)
Moroney had a very different week to usual, bidding remotely from Australia, but was happy with how the week panned out.
“It’s a completely new experience as far as Karaka is concerned. It is the first Karaka Sale I have missed in the last 38 years,” Moroney said.
“Fortunately, we did Inglis Easter remotely as well because we were in Melbourne and couldn’t get up to that Sale, which never took place anyway.
“We had a very good experience doing that online and we were confident we could analyse horses online.”
Big Book 2 from Little Avondale
The leading vendor at the conclusion of Book 2 was Sam and Catriona Williams’ Little Avondale Stud, selling 12 horses for a total turnover of NZ$778,000, while the leading vendor by average was Cameron and Eva Heron’s Highline Thoroughbreds, with their six lots averaging NZ$101,667.
Little Avondale’s residents topped the sires' tables, with Per Incanto averaging NZ$81,333 for nine lots sold and first-season sire Time Test (GB) averaging NZ$58,400 for 10 lots sold.
Book 3 of the Sale takes place online on the Gavelhouse Plus platform and closes Wednesday, February 3.
