Full-cycle service from Blue Sky

Blue Sky Bloodstock, Australia’s leading purchaser of bloodstock at public auction in 2017, has announced a further extension to its existing bloodstock agency service.

Blue Sky Premium Consignment (BSPC) will offer owners, trainers and syndicators a new avenue to market and offer high quality horses-in-training and breeding prospects off the track, at a select number of premier auctions in Australia, in 2018.

Blue Sky’s managing director Julian Blaxland, a member of Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia (FBAA), said the Blue Sky Premium Consignment bridges the gap in offering clients ‘full-cycle’ servicing.

“We are there at the start of the dream, at the sales, working hard to acquire bloodstock with stakes potential. We then work closely with trainers to manage their racing careers, so it seems only logical to provide that same support for the final chapter of their story, before retiring to stud.

“At Blue Sky, we are continually looking for new ways to improve our client’s chances of a positive ROI and we feel confident that our sales marketing strategy will help generate that extra bid, which at the top level, can equate to hundreds of thousands back into the pockets of owners.

Some of the initiatives BSPC offer owners include;

> A longer lead time for dedicated pre-sale marketing of bloodstock to our extensive local and international database
> Restricted draft numbers to enhance personalised service and levels of equine care
> Establish benchmarks to ensure draft quality, making BSPC the ‘must see draft’ of each sale for all major buyers and breeders
> Individualised sale information packs produced pre-sale for each horse consigned, distributed to targeted buyers
> Dedicated boutique agistment and sale preparation farms within close proximity to sales complexes to decrease the horse’s pre-sale travel demands
> BSPC draft on-farm open days in the lead up to key sales
> Complete transparency across racing, veterinary and breeding information required for potential buyers

Blue Sky’s stocks have risen considerably with the recent addition of former Godolphin marketing head Tom Seymour to the role of Business Development and Bloodstock Sales Manager.

“Tom is a coup for our agency, complementing my skill set and relationships with his vast experience in bloodstock marketing and promotion – which ultimately benefits our clients in selling their horses for the best result possible,” Blaxland said.

Some of Australia’s most successful syndicators have also expressed their interest in using the services of BSPC as a fair and transparent avenue to dissolve partnerships.

Spicer Thoroughbreds CEO Brad Spicer praised the concept. “We have had stakes winning mares go to the sales and, when I have arrived with owners, she has gone from a stable queen one week, to just one of 30 mares in a draft, competing for the same space alongside a $20k, 14-year-old mare, the next week.

“The dedicated marketing campaigns will assist those mares who have not raced for six months and tend to be a little forgotten. I want to be able to give my owners the confidence their mare will be given the five-star treatment she deserves and the BSPC concept appears to offer that.”

Leading trainers like Adrian Bott have also come out in support of the BSPC model. “Breeding sales are not really a trainer’s area of expertise, but once the owners indicate that they would like to retire from racing or sell, I still have an obligation to try and achieve the best possible result for their investment.

“If I knew a service like this existed, especially for those premium types, I wouldn’t think twice about recommending my owners to follow this path as it would suitably meet those requirements.”

The first Blue Sky Consignment will be targeted at the 2018 Inglis Chairman’s Sale in April 2018

Owners interested in registering their breeding prospects with Blue Sky Premium Consignment, should direct enquires to Julian Blaxland on +61 431 746 803 or Tom Seymour on +61 414 896 988.

JULIAN BLAXLAND