Owning a racehorse can lead to a change of lifestyle, hopefully for the better. MIKE DILLON previews the Karaka sales which offer 800 young bluebloods over three days beginning this afternoon.
A good horse can change your address.
It's a lovely quote.
It will come as no surprise that offering it is Cambridge horseman Brian Jenkins.
Jenkins won the 1998 Melbourne Cup with Jezabeel, and he and his ownership partners recently sold the mare to Australia for big money.
Jezabeel, from the first crop of champion sire Zabeel, changed Jenkins' address, not literally in terms of location, but certainly in its improvement value.
There will be hundreds looking to change their address when they line the rails and fill the seats at the Karaka sales pavillion from 2 pm today when the first of nearly 800 of New Zealand's thoroughbred bluebloods sell at auction at the New Zealand Bloodstock annual yearling sale.
Boomer sales are after the event, not because of the hype, but there has not been a sale in New Zealand in recent years that has not exceeded expectations.
Who would have predicted last year's staggering $3.6 million record price for the Zabeel-Diamond Lover colt.
But as leading breeder Sir Patrick Hogan, or "The Commander" as they call him, said yesterday: "Everyone that needs to be here is here, no one is missing."
You won't change your address by paying $3.6 million for a yearling, unless it proves to be useless then you can move from a mansion to a tent, but Sir Patrick says there will be value horses, and a good percentage of them will be Zabeels.
"There are 66 Zabeels, the highest number yet, and with the Danehills and other high-profile horses around, there is only so much the top end of the market can sustain.
"They can't all sell for $500,000-plus.
"People come to this sale believing they won't be able to afford a Zabeel, but because of the numbers of them available I'm predicting there will be some good Zabeels go through the ring at $120,000-$130,000.
"That will still represent good value for the breeder because this crop still had a $40,000 service fee. What that does is give the breeder a chance to prove his mare and he gets the value out of what the Zabeel does on the racetrack."
Standing next to Sir Patrick inspecting the Cambridge Stud draft was Tic Tic Trinidad, who as agent paid the $3.6 million last year.
Nearby Hong Kong's trump David Hayes was inspecting yearlings, so were Gai Waterhouse and Ron Quinton from Sydney, Colin Alderson and Russell Cameron from Melbourne.
New Zealand Bloodstock chairman Peter Vela said he was delighted with the number of first-time buyers at Karaka.
"We've got the strongest bench ever from Hong Kong, including leading trainers who have not been here before and for the first time we've got interest from Europe and from the United States, some to buy colts and some looking for fillies."
Sir Patrick believes the middle of the market will be the strongest.
"It's the middle of the market that makes a good sale, not the top. The glamour may be there in the top lots, but that doesn't spread too far.
"When the middle is strong everyone is happy."
Peter Vela agrees.
"Last year the bottom of the sale was almost the strongest relatively because the middle had been so competitive orders had not been filled and the buying continued right to the bottom."
The premier sale will cover 2 pm to 8 pm today and tomorrow and 2 pm to 7.30 pm on Thursday. The select colts section sells 10.30 am to 7.30 pm on Friday.
Plenty of change of address opportunities.
Racing: Overseas interest high as Karaka sales get into gear
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