28 Jan 2009

Karaka sales finish with good results

5:57 am on 28 January 2009

The New Zealand Premier horse sales have concluded at Karaka with a total of almost 53 and a half million dollars worth of bloodstock changing hands over the two days.

That's down on last year's record of more than 77 million.... while the average price fell slightly from day one to finish at almost 146 thousand, down 27% from last year.

While Monday's top price of 800 thousand dollars wasn't surpassed, one lot came close, with the Stravinsky filly knocked down to local bloodstock agent, Dean Hawthorne, for 775 thousand, the filly is the second foal of the Zabeel mare Diamond Smile, a three-quarter sister to Octagonal, Mouawad and Shower of Roses.

The leading buyer of the Premier Sale was prominent local buyer, David Ellis of Te Akau Racing, now the leading New Zealand buyer at this Sale for the past four years in a row.... his 12 purchases for almost 4 and a hald million dollars included a top price of 750 thousand paid for the Encosta de Lago colt.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club lead the overseas contingent with 25 yearlings purchased for 4 million.

The leading vendor of the two-day Premier Sale by aggregate has been Sir Patrick Hogan's Cambridge Stud with 52 yearlings sold for almost 10 and a half million dollars... Cambridge sold two of the top three lots of the Sale.