By Michael Guerin
Neven Botica was so impressed by the standout colt he saw at Karaka yesterday he sat down to watch him go through the ring.
Two minutes later he owned him.
The West Australian admitted he had fallen in love with the youngster - named Mark McGuire after the baseball legend - but then again so had every other buyer at yesterday's Pyne Gould Guinness standardbred sales.
Botica joined trainer Tim Butt in the sales enclosure to see who the lucky owner of the magnificent looking US-bred colt would be and couldn't resist outlaying a sale-topping $90,000 for him.
"I thought he would go for over $100,000 so I didn't think I would be bidding on him. But at $90,000 I think he is good value," said Botica.
Having previously owned gallopers Botica has taken a greater interest in harness racing, buying two yearlings through Butt last season.
"I only got to know Tim last year after knowing his brother Roddy when he was training in Perth."
But if Botica has decided to get serious about harness racing then he couldn't have picked a better-looking colt to dive in at the deep end for.
The son of world champion Matt's Scooter was beautifully prepared by vendors Frank and Anne Cooney, looking more like a thoroughbred than your usual standardbred yearling.
And the good news is he will be staying in New Zealand for Butt to train, along with a $30,000 In The Pocket-Petite Pauvre colt.
Their arrival in the stable continues a remarkable season for Butt, who has been the star of the New Zealand training ranks this term with champion Lyell Creek and Auckland Cup winner Happy Asset.
Some of the money Happy Asset won during his summer resurgance is likely to go on a $35,000 Armbro Operative-Gitten colt bought by Butt earlier in the day with the Happy Asset owners in mind.
"It is great to be taking home three horses like this because I thought most of the really classy colts were up here," said Butt.
* * *
Somewhere in Melbourne today 35 hairdressers are being asked to work just that little bit harder.
Because they have $132,500 of horseflesh to pay off.
Melbourne hairdresser John Morrey spent that amount at yesterday's sale and may have got more of a bargain than he first realised.
Morrey owns Melbourne's biggest hairdressing salon in Chadstone.
"We have 35 working there and it would be the busiest salon in Melbourne, which I suppose is a good thing right now," said Morrey as he organised payment for the colts.
He bought two lots, paying $80,000 for a superb In The Pocket-Blazing Spirit colt and $52,000 for the Falcon Seelster-Tigerish colt.
"I came here to buy a good In The Pocket and I got the best one so that was good start to the day."
Morrey's trainer Noel Alexander's second pick of the sale was Lord Tiger and Morrey couldn't resist adding him to his tab.
While he was satisfied enough with the purchase he did not know the yearling's juvenile half-sister Tiger Turner looks the best filly in New Zealand.
"I saw in the catalogue she has had three starts for only one win and didn't know she was that good. But from what I hear she is a superstar so this fella could be an even better buy than I thought."
Like yesterday's other top buyer, Neven Botica of Perth, Morrey will return to Australia without opening the cheque book at tomorrow's Christchurch sales.
* * *
Auckland owner John Street was the biggest local buyer yesterday, paying $40,000 for a Falcon Seelster colt out of Nell's Rose, a sister to champion pacer Chokin.
Street also paid $26,000 for a Walton Hanover half-brother to Gran Montana.
Pukekohe trainer Steven Reid outlayed $35,000 for a What's Next filly out of Spirit Of Venus, a half-sister to former New Zealand pacer Nketia, who has been starring at Harold Park in recent weeks.
But on the whole most of the local buyers were blown out of the water by the Aussies, as well as a truly transtasman buyer in Kypros Kotzikas.
Kotzikas, who has been a sales regular in the last decade, races his horses almost exclusively from Robert Cameron's Victoria base these days.
Kotzikas paid $31,000 for a Sands A Flyin colt and $14,000 for a Sundon filly closely related to Mountain Gold.
But he surprisingly did not chase the half-brother to his former champion Iraklis, who was taken home after only reaching $52,000.
* * *
There was good money for trotters yesterday, with a son of former great mare Landora's Pride fetching $30,000.
The son of Armbro Invasion was bought by Victorian Ray Matthews, who trained former star trotter Lenin early in his career.
Sundon colts also fetched good money. A half-sister by Sundon to champion mare Merinai brought $16,000, with $14,000 for Mountain Gold's close relation and $10,000 for a Sundon-Iola Hanover colt.
* * *
Sales officials were buoyant after the sale even though the six-figure barrier wasn't broken.
While there were expectations of a $100,000 colt they fell $10,000 short.
But the average for the sale was $17,113, well up on last year's average of 13,800.
That is a huge increase considering last year's sale was held during the Interdominions when there was a massive Australian presence.
"We are very happy with that average and it could have been a bit higher but for losing a few key lots," said Pyne Gould Guinness spokesman Bruce Barlass.
"Like any sale some people were disappointed but others were estatic and I think it has set us up nicely for the next two days."
There was expected demand for sons of In The Pocket while Falcon Seelster, who is sometimes criticised for being slow to take off as a stallion here, was again well supported, although he did have the pick of the quality mares represented.
Racing: US-bred colt fetches $90,000 top price
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