By MIKE DILLON
The sale went mad yesterday.
There may not have been any $3.6 million lots, but the last day of the premier session was a vendor's dream.
"A feeding frenzy," is how New Zealand Bloodstock chairman Peter Vela described the last session of the sale of the country's bluebloods.
It did not surprise him.
"You know, once you convince the likes of Eduardo Conjuangco, who bought the $3.6 million Zabeel, to come here, they quickly realise this is not a backwater and that these are serious international horses.
"We had the Prime Minister here opening the sale on Tuesday saying the new Labour Government realises how important the thoroughbred industry is to the economy and this sale proves beyond question thoroughbreds are outperforming any other agriculture pursuit."
The average price for the three days was $128,000, up 38 per cent up on last year, while the aggregate of $55 million showed a 49 per cent jump.
Sales of $100,000 plus were 157, up from 100 12 months ago, $200,000 plus were 59 sales against 35 and the clearance rate was an excellent 87 per cent.
"The clearance is the single most important factor to us as sales agents," said Vela, "it means breeders wake up tomorrow with mon ey in the bank instead of horses in the boxes.
"This was not just a Zabeel sale. This went a good way across the board."
Sydney horseman Alan Bell was underbidder on the Bart Cummings Zabeel purchase of $1.5 million and struck successfully a few lots later when he put up $475,000 for a Carnegie-Happiness filly.
"I thought she was as good as any filly in the sale," said Bell.
"Those looking for a potential broodmare have been focussing on the Zabeels, but I thought this filly stood out."
The $475,000 was exceeded many times.
Queensland scrap metal merchant Ronald Wanless paid $650,000 for a Danehill-Kiwi Magic colt, put forward by Don and Rochelle McLaren's Northfield Stud.
Melbourne's Peter White went to $625,000 for the Danehill-Happiness filly and Kieran Moore went to $650,000 for the Zabeel-Merry Maiden.
Somewhere among the mayhem of the $3.6 milliion Wednesday night the Danehill-Popsy colt passed in at $600,000 on the opening night on Tuesday.
Melbourne trainer Colin Alderson did a deal to buy the colt for a syndicate fo5r $710,000.
Danehill topped the averages for the sale with 11 yearlings averaging $391,364, ahead of Zabeel at 28 sales at an average of $357,391.
First season sire Carnegie was third with a remarkable $186,870.
Racing: Feeding frenzy on final day of sale
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