Horse racing: Preparation puts the breeze up lodge

To say Derek Nolan's lead-up to tomorrow's Ready To Run sales has been challenging would be a mild understatement. Photo / File.

To say Derek Nolan's lead-up to tomorrow's Ready To Run sales has been challenging would be a mild understatement.

So that will leave the former jockey and his partner Sophie Orting, owners of Lillywhites Lodge in South Auckland, with some choices to make in the next two days.

The couple and the owners or their outside lots will offer 21 two-year-olds at the New Zealand Bloodstock sale but with the most unorthodox preparations.

Because Nolan and Orting live in the Auckland region they have been unable to have Waikato-based trainers or agents come to their property while their horses had to breeze up (gallop at speed on video) at Te Rapa without the option of heading there for a practice outing first.

Even on their breeze up days they had to be sent south of the Covid border to caretakers for the day because Nolan and Orting couldn't accompany them.

"It has been bloody hard," admits Nolan.

"We realise lots of other people in business have their own Covid struggles but the border between Auckland and Waikato has really hurt us.

"It means our horses haven't had the same preps as the other horses but I am hoping the agents can see past that because we have some really nice stock." Nolan says while their setbacks could see good buying from their draft he expects solid interest in lots 138 and 247 to start with.

"They are both quality lots, one by Choisir and the 247 is a Tarzino filly out of a top mare in Postmans Daughter," says Nolan.

"And we have a Savabeel (lot 215) and a Per Incanto (lot 281) which serious buyers have to look at."