3 minute read

Seabrook satisfied with results on first day with best still yet to come

During the first day of this year’s unique Karaka 2021 - Book 1 sale 131 lots sold for a clearance rate of 73 per cent. The average of NZ$130,134 was down six per cent on the 2020 sale average of NZ$138,698 whilst the median was down seven per cent from NZ$107,500 to NZ$100,000. Two lots sold for NZ$500,000 or more, the Zoustar (Northern Meteor) filly and Written Tycoon (Iglesia) colt bought by David Ellis. A total of 11 lots sold for NZ$300,000 or more. 

New Zealand Bloostock’s managing director Andrew Seabrook said that the results were satisfactory given the circumstances in which the sale has been conducted with the absence of international buyers. 

“It’s definitely satisfactory. It was unchartered territories with no international buyers due to Covid here but a sense of relief,” he said. 

“I think we are down five per cent for the day, NZ$132,000 down from NZ$138,000, and I think that’s a pretty pleasing result. The clearance of 73 (per cent), again, pleasing and it’s just so good to see all the online activity.”  

During Sunday’s opening session, 70 lots received bids online and 26 lots were bought online whilst the number of online bids totalled 205. 

“Around 40 per cent of the horses offered on Sunday were bid on by buyers online,” continued Seabrook.   

“We sold around 20 / 21 per cent of horses online. That’s been vital to the success. But of course, the internations are not just bidding online, they’ve been able to contact their agents or representatives here to bid on the phone. 

“I’ve been inundated. I’ve had trainers like Peter Moody ring me here today and various Australians so it was very pleasing to see them be active.” 

Seabrook is hopeful that the results will hold and noted that some buyers thought there was better quality to come.  

“Quite a few of the major buyers have told me the quality is better on Monday and Tuesday, so let’s hope that’s the case and hopefully we can get that clearance rate up,” he said.  

“If we can get it up to the mid 70s I think that would be a good result.” 

New Zealand Bloodstock’s Sir Peter Vela has strongly supported this year’s sale and his Pencarrow stud is offering its biggest draft that includes fillies that would usually be retained. Seabrook said that the session topping Zoustar filly would usually be a filly that wasn’t offered for sale by the operation.  

“Sir Peter Vela would never usually sell a filly like that at the sales,” he said. 

“It’s the biggest draft he’s ever had. But he wanted to support Karaka and put his best fillies in and we’ve seen that today and he’s been rewarded. The underbidder was actually an American.”