Kiwi farms reveal selling plans for 2021

10 min read
The 2021 Australian yearling auctions feature heavily in the plans of a number of New Zealand nurseries, with many adopting the strategy of spreading the risk and opportunity across many sales. In Part Two of this series, TDN AusNZ spoke to several New Zealand stud identities about their selling approaches for 2021.

Cambridge Stud will be selling yearlings in Australia next year for the first time since Brendan and Jo Lindsay purchased the iconic nursery in late 2017.

While Cambridge Stud will offer the vast majority of its youngsters at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale at Karaka, it will be represented at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and the Inglis Classic and Premier Sales in the early part of 2021.

“This is the first year we’ve sent yearlings to Australia and that wasn’t particularly COVID-related,” Chief Executive Officer Henry Plumptre said.

“It’s more related to the fact that we would have a lot of Tavistocks and Almanzors if we went to Karaka with the whole lot, it’s more about spreading them around those sales in Australia where there might be a bit of intrigue about them.

“There will be interest in the Almanzors and Tavistock has done well enough in Australia and people will look at his yearlings, regardless if it’s Sydney or Melbourne.

“Whether they pay as much for them over there as they do in New Zealand I’m not sure. The proof of the pudding will be at the end of April next year.”

Henry Plumptre

Selling through Bhima

Mike Fleming’s Bhima Thoroughbreds will present first-crop yearlings by Almanzor (Fr) and by Sebring for Cambridge Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast and four at the Inglis Classic Sale, made up of the progeny of Tavistock (NZ) (two), Almanzor and So You Think (NZ).

A draft of 10 comprised of four by Tavistock, three by Almanzor and one apiece for All Too Hard, Nicconi and So You Think will be sold on its behalf at Inglis' Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale by Maluka Thoroughbreds and all the yearlings arrived in Australia last week.

“We wanted to get them over there so they can get exposure on the farms,” Plumptre said. “We reduced the numbers at Classic and beefed up the numbers in Melbourne because Tavistock had an amazing run there in the last six months, not the least winning the G1 VRC Derby.

“We haven’t really changed our thought process with Almanzor and we thought he was a stallion particularly well-suited to New Zealand, he was a middle distance champion.

“Traditionally, that’s what New Zealand does best so the bulk of ours will be sold at Karaka and a sprinkling in Australia. With or without COVID-19 we would have done the same thing.

“Traditionally, that’s what New Zealand does best so the bulk of ours will be sold at Karaka and a sprinkling in Australia.” – Henry Plumptre

“I don’t think anyone can crystal ball gaze for next year and we have to deal with what is in front of us, which is a lot of online inspections.

“If you use the 2-year-olds in training example at Karaka, it was against the run of play and a great success. Any Ready to Run Sale anywhere in the world that has a clearance rate of 80 per cent or better is going pretty well and very encouraging.

“Yearlings are a completely different equation and I don’t think we can expect that international involvement that we’ve enjoyed previously and I mean Europe, Asia and America.

“I’m certain there will be existing relationships with agents and trainers in New Zealand that will help shift that K1 Book.

“You can try and be clever and Australia has a much better chance of clearing their yearling sales than we have because people can cross borders, but I’m not sure it’s going to be any easier there.”

Cambridge Stud will have yearlings in Bhima Thoroughbreds' drafts

Stallion exposure

Windsor Park Stud will be selling across all venues, the majority at Karaka, with an emphasis in Australia of gaining further exposure for young stallions Rageese and Vanbrugh.

“The year they went to stud there were 13 or 14 new stallions. While Turn Me Loose got big support with 140-plus mares, Rageese and Vanbrugh didn’t get the same support,” General Manager Steve Till said.

“Turn Me Loose had such good numbers that you know they will end up going to Australia. With the other two getting fewer numbers we took some over there earlier this year and we’re doing a similar sort of thing again.

“Rageese was a top class 2-year-old in Australia and a beautifully-bred son of Street Cry who trained on, and Vanbrugh was a top spring 3-year-old and a Group 1-winning son of Encosta De Lago so they’ve got profiles.

“They are standing at NZ$5000 and our top Vanbrugh over sold for $90,000 and the top-priced Rageese over $100,000.”

Watch: The NZ$130,000 Rageese yearling parade

Three Rageese yearlings and two by Vanbrugh and a Charm Spirit (Ire) colt out of a half-sister to the G1 Melbourne Cup winners Vow And Declare (Declaration Of War {USA}) will be sold at the Gold Coast.

A half-brother by Turn Me Loose (NZ) to stakes winner Vassilator (NZ) (Zacinto {GB}) will be offered at Melbourne Premier and youngsters by Rageese (two) and Charm Spirit will be sold at Adelaide.

“We target the right style of yearlings for the markets, we put them in other drafts and they’re prepped in Australia and we’ve used Kitchwin Hills and Eureka Stud.

“We’re not trying to win Lotto, the primary driver is to send them over to our biggest market.”

Marketing opportunities

Inglewood Stud is also taking the opportunity to market resident stallion War Decree (USA) at various venues in 2021.

“He’s leaving really nice types and getting rave reviews from everyone that sees them,” Gus Wigley said. “We've got six War Decrees in Book 1 at Karaka and we’ve got one for the Gold Coast who’s already gone over to Attunga Stud.

“He’s a nice, forward type of colt out of a Foxwedge mare and at Classic, Riversdale will put through an athletic, running type out of our stakes-winning mare Zigwig for us. We think they are the right types for the market there.

“We could have taken more to Australia, but we want to support New Zealand Bloodstock as well.”

Gus Wigley with co-owner Kevin Hickman

Jamieson covering all options

James Chapman’s Jamieson Park will also be selling at Australian auctions with Lime Country Thoroughbreds to offer two on its behalf at the Gold Coast, three at Classic and pairs at Premier and Sydney Easter with two in Book 1 at Karaka.

“The Magic Millions yearlings went over on Sunday and all the others will head over between four and two weeks before the sales,” Jamieson Manager Sam Munro said. “We’ve got a nice Savabeel filly for Magics out of Beachley and we sold her sister at Karaka for NZ$420,000.

“We’ve got three colts for Classic by Almanzor, Iffraaj and Per Incanto and an Ocean Park half-brother to Inferno, the best horse in Singapore, and a Savabeel colt for Premier.

“An I Am Invincible colt out of the Group 1 winner Thee Auld Floozie and a Savabeel filly out of an American-bred mare by More Than Ready will go to Easter.”

“An I Am Invincible colt out of the Group 1 winner Thee Auld Floozie and a Savabeel filly out of an American-bred mare by More Than Ready will go to Easter.” - James Chapman

Selling at Karaka will be a son of Time Test (GB) from the family of former Australian Horse of the Year Typhoon Tracy (Red Ransom {USA}) and an Almanzor filly out of a stakes-winning sister to the dual Group 1 winner Shillelagh (NZ) (Savabeel).

“It’s been really difficult this year because of COVID-19 and not knowing what the buying bench at Karaka would be,” Munro said. “We got caught earlier with five of our better horses going to Easter and I was over there in isolation and then the horses couldn’t fly over.

“We didn’t want to take the risk of the whole draft going to one sale next year. James and I talked a lot about it and (agent) Bruce Perry gave us some advice and we listened to the sales companies and which horse would suit which sale best.”

Uncertainty cut numbers

The Gerry Harvey-owned Westbury Stud has dispatched five yearlings to be sold at the Gold Coast with the consignment completed by youngsters from Baramul Stud.

“We’ve sent five over and the rest of the draft emanates from Baramul,” General Manager Russell Warwick said. “With the uncertainty over the borders being open we cut our numbers, we’d normally take 14 or 16 over and we’ll have a draft of 15 to 20 at the Gold Coast in June.”

Russell Warwick

The Karaka-raised yearlings at the Gold Coast include a brother to the G1 VRC Oaks winner Miami Bound (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}), a half-brother by Reliable Man (GB) to the G1 Doomben 10,000 winner Music Magnate (NZ) (Written Tycoon) and a Savabeel colt from the family of the G1 Golden Slipper S. winner Polar Success (NZ) (Success Express {USA}).

Westbury has 95 yearlings entered in Books 1 and 2 at Karaka in January.

Majority Karaka-bound

Rich Hill Stud will focus on Karaka with only light Australian representation and a first-crop son of Satono Aladdin (Jpn), Lot 693, to be sold through Twin Hills Stud’s draft at the Classic Sale.

He is out of a sister to the G2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas winner Sir Andrew (NZ) (Sir Percy {GB}) and a half-sister to the dam of the G3 Bonecrusher S. winner Riodini (NZ) (Proisir), also twice Group 1-placed.

“Of all the sons of Deep Impact to come out here, Satono Aladdin has probably got the best pedigree,” John Thompson said. “He’s out of a Group-winning Storm Cat mare and she’s out of a Fappiano mare and he’s the sire of Northern Meteor’s dam so the blood has worked in Australia.

“We’ll have a lovely line of horses by him at Karaka and really looking forward to presenting them to the market.”

Rich Hill will also send a Shocking colt, who is a brother to the G3 Wellington Cup winner Soleseifei (NZ), to the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.

“We’ve sold in Australia a lot over the years, particularly when Pentire was in full flight,” Thompson said.

Novara holding back

Home to Sweynesse and Staphanos (Jpn), Novara Park is holding on to the majority of its yearlings and will offer just three in Book 1 through Phoenix Park’s draft at Karaka and one in KBL Thoroughbreds’ draft at the Classic Sale.

“We’re retaining a lot to take to the next level, which is trials and races because I’ve been selling a few off the track for good money. Everything that was accepted for Book 1 at Karaka is there,” Luigi Muollo said.

Luigi Muollo

“Because of our staffing levels and a smaller book I’m giving our yearlings to Janine Dunlop. It suits us with the smaller number and retaining a lot. My staff can manage what we’ve got on the farm and they had a busy serving season with both stallions,” Muollo said.

“I held off with the others because I knew Sweynesse would hit good form and I’ve got a lot of valuable ones by him. He’s got the highest stakes winners to runners of any stallion at stud in New Zealand and Australia and I think he can improve on that.

“We’re in a nice little sweet spot and we’ll wait for the market to come right. I think it looks positive and it’s been a long time coming.”

Novara Park will offer colts by Sweynesse, Per Incanto (USA) and Time Test (GB) at Karaka.

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CambridgeStud
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WestburyStud
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