One million dollars or $100,000? Melbourne trainer Henry Dwyer got the colt for what he considered a bargain, $200,000.
"I expected to pay between $300,000 and $350,000," said Dwyer, who had paid $120,000 for a younger sister who he rates highly.
"She went through a fence and had a year off after winning a Caulfield barrier trial very well, but she's back on track again," said Dwyer.
"I thought this colt is a much more precocious type than Prince Of Penzance, who looked like he'd take forever to mature when he was a yearling."
John Thompson, general manager of Rich Hill Stud that presented the colt agreed the yearling was not a replica of Prince Of Penzance.
"He's much more like a Derby horse than a Melbourne Cup horse."
Cambridge trainer Shaune Ritchie was looking for a Melbourne Cup horse and got what he was looking for in the High Chaparral/Pravda colt which he picked up for $300,000.
If he is looking a likely Cup candidate, Ritchie might have to take the horse to Melbourne himself. A sale to Australia might be a longshot with Australians remembering that Pravda, by Zabeel, jacked up when going to the start in her Melbourne Cup attempt and after refusing for five minutes was a late scratching, providing Lance O'Sullivan a long walk back to the birdcage with the saddle.
"It would be a great thrill to win a Melbourne Cup with this colt," said Ritchie, who was prepared to go to $400,000.
One of the owners Ritchie bought the colt for is Australian businessman Nigel Nausbaun and Ritchie was fairly sure Gerard Peterson was ready to take a corner. Peterson is not new to Melbourne Cup success and shares in the ownership of Saturday's Wellington Cup winner, Mister Impatience.
Luca Cumani did not intend going home empty-handed - it's a long way from England to Karaka in January, although the 28 degrees yesterday would have been more welcome than the sub-zero in Newmarket in England.
Cumani, through bloodstock agent Phil Cataldo paid $250,000 for the Tavistock/Tristraad colt, bred on the same Tavistock/Volksraad cross as topliner Volkstok'n'barrel.
White horses are a million to one to see and one made $450,000 today.
The High Chaparral - The Opera House filly was bought by Japanese enthusiast Hideo Jakadaru, which was no surprise because novel horses - in fact novel anything - attracts massive attention in Japan.
But Hideo Jakadaru, through interpreteur Kazuki Oshiro, said he was keen for the filly to race in New Zealand at least initially. As best you could attain, the verdict was that Mr Jakadaru was keen for the filly, from a Zabeel mare, would retire the filly to stud in Japan.
"I would like to mate her to Deep Impact," he said. Mr Jakadaru purchased under the name of Dearest Club.
Yesterday's sale was a major triumph for New Zealand Bloodstock with ate going aggragate going to $27 million, up from $22.5 million last year. The average was $178,500, up from $140,000 in 2015 and the clearance was 75 per cent.
The leading lot was purchased by Te Akau Racing, which paid $775,000 for the Savabeen - Bling filly from Waikato Stud.
