KEY POINTS:
Hard economic times meant the Karaka Premier Sale ended yesterday without the sale topper reaching seven figures for the first time in six years.
The $800,000 paid by Matamata trainer Lance Noble for an Encosta De Lago-Giovana colt at the beginning of the sale proved to be the highest price, with no horses making more than $775,000.
The last time the top Karaka seller was less than $1 million was 2003, when a Zabeel-L'Quiz colt topped the sale at $660,000.
The fall in prices was expected due to the economic downturn and the fact last year's sale was boosted by the problems suffered in Australia from equine influenza.
"This sale is providing unique opportunities for people to get involved," leading buyer David Ellis said.
"It's a good one for buyers and not as tough as it has been."
Organiser New Zealand Bloodstock said coming into the sale that it expected the average to be down and was likely to be pleased the average was about $150,000.
Ellis was the leading buyer again, his purchases including four colts bought for more than $500,000 as stallion prospects.
The most expensive was a $750,000 colt by Encosta De Lago out of Wyndham Special from the Cambridge Stud draft.
He also bought a $600,000 Redoute's Choice-Devil's Lair colt to add to $500,000-plus colts he bought on Monday by Redoute's Choice and Zabeel.
If Ellis was the man for top colts, Dean Hawthorne was the man after the expensive fillies.
Hawthorne secured the top two fillies of the sale, topping Monday's $650,000 Redoute's Choice filly with a $775,000 Stravinsky filly bought yesterday from the Cambridge Stud.
The filly is out of a full sister to Don Eduardo, who lit up the Karaka sale ring when sold for $3.6 million before winning the Australian Derby, and hails from the all-conquering Eight Carat family.
Hawthorne, a Waikato bloodstock dealer buying for Melbourne clients, including businessman and long-time Karaka buyer Jonathan Munz, said he thought the Redoute's Choice filly was the better athlete but the breeding value of the Stravinsky filly was supreme.
"You don't get many opportunities to come into this family, especially so close up," Hawthorne said.
"I think we have bought into it before but it was quite distant.
"Even if she doesn't get to the races she's still got huge residual value as a broodmare."
Hawthorne said the filly would be taken to Australia, but he wasn't sure who would train her.
He said he only decided earlier yesterday to seriously bid for her.
"She just improved and improved as the sale went on."
- NZPA
