Racing: Herlihy out in front at sales

Handler Kelly Blakemore with Bettor Cheer who fetched the top price at the Australasian Classic Yearling Sale. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Champion driver Tony Herlihy found himself at the top of the tree in a different role at yesterday's harness racing yearling sales.

Herlihy is the first New Zealand horseman to 3000 domestic wins and has won almost every major race in Australasia, but even though he has developed a training career which regularly sees him among the top six on the premiership, he has rarely been able to compete at the very top end of the sales market.

That has been dominated by Mark Purdon, Lincoln Farms and Cran Dalgety among others for so long that Herlihy has been left to eke out a great strike rate with mainly five-figure purchases. But not yesterday, not with the huge financial firepower of Sydney-based owner Emilio Rosati behind him.

The pair had agreed to go to about $80,000 for Bettor Cheer, a Bettors Delight colt from a half-sister to ABC winner Cheer The Lady. But Rosati is a man used to getting what he wants, so when the bidding climbed north of $100,000 he kept going.

The end result was a $130,000 clear sale topper and Herlihy smiling.

"He is a lovely colt and it is a really good family," he said. "It just proves again how valuable it is for the industry in this country to have somebody like Emilio involved, because that money goes back into our industry."

It was one of only two lots to break the $100,000 mark yesterday and the other was bought by one of the great judges in sales history in Geoff Small.

The Patumahoe trainer hasn't had the money, or inclination, to buy the elite lots in the last few seasons but was so struck by the development of the Mach Three-Copper Beach colt that he went to $115,000.

"I saw him three weeks ago and then yesterday and was stunned how much he has filled out in that time alone," said Small.

Small trained Copper Beach to win the NZ Oaks and her daughter De Lovely to do the same and was unusually enthusiastic about the colt for an old pro who is often reserved.

"I really wanted him and while I have a few owners already interested I am now looking for owners. He is that good I was willing to take that risk," he admitted.

Another top trainer buying into a family he knows well was Barry Purdon, who paid $75,000 for a gorgeous Bettors Delight filly, a sister to his Harness Jewels winner Five Card Draw and closely related to his NZ record holder Ideal Belle.

While John Street's Lincoln Farms almost broke $100,000 for a Mach Three-Angela Jane colt, regular big spenders like Mark Purdon, Tim Butt and Cran Dalgety were reserved.

That could be because of a number of factors, including recent Australian sales purchases, more emphasis on going horses or waiting for the busier next two days of sales starting in Christchurch today. Yesterday's sale started very slowly but gained crucial momentum in the middle stages before buyers started to show signs of fatigue in the final hour.

Some Australians were blunted by the strong Kiwi dollar and that didn't help the clearance rate as they are often strong in the $30,000 to $50,000 bracket.

"The average was well up on last year but the clearance rate was down and that disappoints us," admitted PGG Wrightson's Bruce Barlass. But the prices were still solid and I think we will see that clearance rate improve over the next few days."

For sales results visit

www.pggwrightson.co.nz