Late highlights climaxed Day 2 of the NZB Premier Sale at Karaka on Tuesday.
David Ellis of Te Akau Racing waited until the end of the session to make his biggest splash when purchasing the Fastnet Rock – Il Quello Veloce filly for $800,000.
Offered by Lyndhurst Farm, she is out of Group 1 winning two-year-old Il Quello Veloce (Captain Rio), a blood-sister to Group 1 winning sprinter Terravista (Captain Rio).
Ellis came out on top at the end of a competitive bidding duel with Melbourne trainer David Hayes to put a filly at the top of the Premier Sale leader-board for the first time in a decade. Ellis also secured top spot as the leading buyer for a record tenth consecutive year with 22 horses for $3.57 million.
“I topped this Sale about 23 years ago as a vendor with a filly, and today I topped the Sale buying a filly,” commented Ellis. “She’s gorgeous, the best I’ve seen at this Sale in 10 years.
“She was bought for a syndicate I put together and we plan to aim her at the NZ Filly of the Year Series with the 1000 Guineas in mind. I thought it was a strong Sale with sound quality, and the good ones sold well.
Fastnet Rock has now provided the highest priced yearling at Karaka for the past four years in a row. The Coolmore sire was also the overall leading sire by average for the fourth consecutive year with 13 horses sold at an average of $331,538.
Second highest-priced was the Fastnet Rock – Dance on By (Sadler’s Wells) colt knocked down to Duncan Ramage who swooped in with a sole bid of $600,000. His dam is a sister to High Chaparral.
The total outlay by Australian buyers exceeded the amount they spent last year with $20.41 million for 127 horses, an increase of 8%.
The overall average finished at a healthy $150,881, increasing 4% from last year. The median also rose, finishing at $120,000, an increase of 9%. With 26 fewer horses catalogued this year, the aggregate finished at $44,962,500 with a clearance rate of 75%.
Champion Kiwi racehorse So You Think was the leading first season sire by average (with three or more sold). The 10-time Group 1 winning racehorse sold five horses at an average of $190,000, with top price of $420,000 for the half-brother to VRC Derby winner Preferment.
He was secured by Melbourne bloodstock agent Cameron Cooke for South Australian businessman Luke Koumi, owner of the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas winner Deiheros. A host of other freshman sires were well received by the market including Foxwedge, Smart Missile, Redwood, Cape Blanco, Dalghar & Jimmy Choux.
Waikato Stud’s Chittick family successfully defended its leading vendor title selling 40 lots for a total of $6.86 million.
Selling continues at Karaka on Wednesday with Day 1 of the Select Sale which continues on Thursday and Friday.