Horse Racing: International buyers provide sales boost

By Mike Dillon

Robert Sangster's and Sheikh Hamdan's money was in the drawer at Karaka last night.

And it helped to put the finishing touches on one of the most successful premier national yearling sales.

Sangster's appearance on the buyers' bench was perhaps an omen for a sale which pushed the aggregate up to $37 million from last year's $32 million on a bigger catalogue.

"The most impressive features are that the average price of $94,000 is up 17.25 per cent on last year and that the clearance rate was 85.75 per cent," said New Zealand Bloodstock chairman Peter Vela.

"That's a hell of a result."

Wednesday's sale firmed up impressively on the opening Tuesday night session and when Sangster put his hand up for $400,000 for the first lot in the ring yesterday morning, the Slavic-Abbaye filly, the sign was there.

Sangster, who flew in from Barbados on Wednesday, said the filly had a hint of a Golden Slipper family.

"She will go to Peter Hayes' stable in Australia and, well, here's hoping."
Sangster has shares in 300 horses in the Northern Hemisphere and the same number in the Southern Hemisphere.

"Currently I've got the 10-to-1 early favourite for the English Derby, Commander Collins, a three-quarter brother to Colonel Collins, who stood at stud in New Zealand."

Angus Gold outlaid $450,000 for Chatham Lodge's colt by Lure from the American mare Dragoncello on behalf of one of world racing's icons, Sheikh Hamdan.

Sheikh Hamdan is a hands-on player in the industry and spoke to Gold by phone from Dubai yesterday to discuss the Karaka catalogue.

The Lure colt will also join Peter Hayes' stable.

Despite two of the world thoroughbred forces joining the top table yesterday, it was the Australian master trainer Bart Cummings who had the biggest cheque book.

That is an ironic turnaround from a a few years ago when a $20 million debt nearly sent him under and put stringent restrictions on his yearling buying power.

Cummings spent $3,435,000 on eight lots and took home the highest-priced lot, the $850,000 Danehill-Taareck filly sold on Wednesday.

Graeme Rogerson was the second biggest buyer, spending $2.8 million.

While Vela is humming over the result, he said it was clear the upsurge in interest in the New Zealand thoroughbred was only beginning.

"It was two years ago that New Zealand breeders started seriously upgrading broodmare ranks and the progeny of those new purchases have yet to reach the catalogue," Vela said.

"The first of them will be sold next year. I would say there are up to 100 mares we will be selling yearlings from next year, that, had they been in this catalogue they would have pushed the bottom 100 mares out.

"And I believe the 2001 sale will be even stronger from that point of view.

"This sale shows the confidence the New Zealand's breeders have placed in the future of the industry is bearing fruit.

"Look at the buyers' bench we have had here, Robert Sangster, Demi O'Byrne, Angus Gold buying for the Sheikh ... we are in for an exciting time in the next few years."