Racing: Tankards clock up kms in pursuit of sales success

The Tankards picked up this colt by Zacinto for $180,000 at the Select Sale yesterday. Photo / Race Images

Anyone looking for a good low impact work-out should look no further than a day at the NZ Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka.

Just ask Bryce and Ginger Tankard from Waikato Bloodstock. The pair added an app to their phones prior to the sale this year to measure their movements during a typical day at work and have come up with some surprising figures.

"I looked at the phone last night when I hopped in the car to go home and saw I walked close to 8km for the day," chuckled Bryce.

"My feet could have probably told me that but it was still a surprise to see the distance when you are really only moving around a fairly compact complex looking at horses."

The work put in by Tankard and his father paid dividends on the first day of the Select Sale when they secured two impressive colts over the space of less than 15 minutes during the early afternoon action.

Lot 533, a colt by Zacinto out of Volksraad mare Anya from the Inglewood Stud draft, fell to their bid of $180,000. Just five horses later Lot 538, a Pentire colt that features Victoria Derby and Wellington Cup winner Second Coming in his extended family was also snapped up for $100,000.

"We've spent plenty of long hours over the last six weeks working out our targets for the sale and these two colts were both on our hit list," said Tankard. "We've bought them for a group of Hong Kong based clients that have formed an organisation called Kangyu International Racing. This is the first year we have bought for the group as a whole but we've probably been working with the people involved individually for near on 15 years."

Tankard was impressed with what he saw from both colts over the past few days.

"The Zacinto colt seems to have thrived over the week and turned plenty of heads when he entered the ring," he said. "He's a real athletic type and moves beautifully.

"The Pentire colt is in a similar vein, very strong, good girth and shoulder and another great mover.

"They both appeal as being suited up to a mile which is what our clients have told us to buy."

The Tankards had earlier outlaid $90,000 for Lot 470, a Swiss Ace colt from the Westbury Stud draft with more purchases planned over the rest of the week.

- NZ Racing Desk