By MIKE DILLON
The only certainty about the highest priced lot at yesterday's Ready To Run Sale at Karaka is that it will race in the Canterbury red and black colours.
Sydney-based, ex-Cantabrian - if there is such a thing as an ex-Cantabrian - Jack D'Arcy, parted with $510,000 for the first two horses he has owned yesterday.
And he's waited 30 years to do it.
D'Arcy, a lover of racing and horses, left Christchurch three decades ago to establish a computer business in Sydney.
"I just wanted to be involved at that time, but it wasn't possible."
D'Arcy sold his business recently and now spending $510,000 on a long desired hobby is suddenly possible.
Yesterday he paid $310,000 for a Zabeel-Little Nell colt, a couple of hours after putting up $200,000 for a colt by O'Reilly from Expoeve.
"I'm a loyal Kiwi and when I decided I wanted to race horses, I only wanted Kiwi horses," said D'Arcy.
The red and black colours are not only because D'Arcy lived in Canterbury - he played cricket for the province and later for New Zealand.
He was a batsman and is almost unnecessarily embarrassed by the international lack of success of our cricket team in those days.
Both horses will be trained in Sydney by Ron Quinton, who sat with D'Arcy through both purchases.
"Actually, as much as I am really for Canterbury, I'm even more a proud Kiwi and I would love to have John Thompson's colours that Diatribe carries of a black jacket with a white fern.
"They are not available, so I am happy for my horses to carry the red and black."
Late in the sale Hong Kong trainer Peter Chapple-Hym went to $300,000 for a Danehill-Geany's Halo colt.
A popular price was $260,000, paid for a Zabeel-Historionic colt, an Unbridled's Song-Imposiera colt and a gelding by Volskraad from Lady Cimarosa.
Graeme Rogerson, who was so active on Monday night, paid $240,000 for a Zabeel-Amore Mia colt.
Yesterday's sale started on a high note when trainer Bruce Wallace paid $170,000 for a Housebuster colt on behalf of Asian buyer Apollo Ng and a dozen lots later Singapore-based former Kiwi trainer Stephen Gray went to $160,000 for a Distinctly North colt from Alma Mater.
The Freedman stable outlaid $200,000 for a Strategic colt from Halcyon Daze and John Foote Bloodstock put up $180,000 for an Unbridled's Song-Emerald Cove filly.
Racing: New hobby to carry Canterbury colours
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