Racing: International buyers to the fore

Lot 67, the sale-topping Redoute's Choice colt, fetched $800,000 on the first day of the Karaka sales. Photo / Trish Dunell

The variety and strength of the international buying bench in attendance at the National Yearling Sale at Karaka this year was in evidence throughout the opening day of the Book 1 sale yesterday.

While Te Akau Racing boss David Ellis, the King of Karaka, led the charge for the locals, it was the internationals who took home the three top-priced lots from the boutique Sunday session.

Among those was Lot 90, a chestnut Zoustar filly from More Than Ready mare, Imanana, who fell to the $600,000 bid of Godolphin Australia's managing director, Vin Cox.

Cox was fulsome in his praise for the filly who was offered out of the Cambridge Stud draft.

"She's by a superstar stallion in Zoustar, who couldn't be doing any better," he said.

Cox and his team had inspected the mare at the Karaka sales complex upon arriving from Australia, among a select list identified prior to the sale.

"We're not here to shoot the lights out," he said. "We just want to be conservative about what we do and try and get the horses we want.

"It's great that Sheikh Mohammed is in the market for buying horses and supporting the Australian and New Zealand industry as well."

While the international buyers made their mark it was David Ellis, the leading buyer from the past 13 editions of the sale, who ensured they didn't have things all their own way.

Ellis signed for 12 of the 92 lots on offer on day one with Lot 100, a Written Tycoon colt from the Hallmark Stud draft, heading his purchase list when fetching $475,000.

"We have put a lot of work into this sale, we have been on the road for the last 10 weeks looking at all the horses in the sale," Ellis said. "We have been saying for some time that it's the best line-up of yearlings that we have seen at Karaka for probably 20 years."

Fresh from his Te Akau Racing stable producing the trifecta in the Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) race at Ellerslie on Saturday evening, Ellis is already looking to secure his next candidates for the 2020 edition.

• Bloodstock agent James Bester and Aquis Farm teamed up to secure the top lot on the opening day - lot 67, a Redoute's Choice colt out of Group One-winning mare Griante.

The partnership went to $800,000 to secure the colt out of Cambridge Stud's draft and were pushed all the way by Cambridge trainer Tony Pike.

Bester was pleased with his purchase and thought it was a bargain buy for what he has judged as the best Redoute's Choice colt he has seen at any sale this year.

"I think this colt at the Gold Coast, judging by what the Redoute's Choice colts sold there, would have made well over A$1 million," Bester said.

• Some quick mental arithmetic was enough to convince international bloodstock agent Hubie De Burgh to soldier on as he waged war in the auction ring during the early action on Day One at Karaka.

De Burgh had his sights set on Lot 19, an I Am Invincible filly from the Little Avondale Stud draft.

A rapid-fire burst of action that saw her purchase price race past the $400,000 mark had De Burgh sweating as he approached the limit of his budget. A final bid of $500,000 saw him sign for the filly on behalf of his client, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his Shadwell Racing operation. "That was the absolute bloody last bid," he said.

"We converted it (the $500,000) back into sterling and when you convert it back then that's very good value on what you buy in England."

- NZ Racing Desk