By MICHAEL GUERIN
The big guns of harness racing gathered in Christchurch yesterday but were blown away by a virtual unknown 81-year-old.
Small-time Victorian owner-trainer Arthur Fullwood stunned industry insiders by paying the top price of $210,000 on the first day of the New Zealand Premier Yearling Sale.
He paid the huge sum for a colt by Western Hanover from former smart filly OK Deb, a close relation to Courage Under Fire.
Western Hanover one of the best stallions in the world while the dam's family has been one of the hottest in New Zealand harness racing in the last five years. But even allowing for his breeding the colt's price was a pleasant surprise for his vendors, Ross Racing Stables of Ohaka, and sale organisers.
"He is a lovely colt and we expected him to be the top lot today but a $210,000 lot this early in the week is very promising," said Pyne Gould Guinness auctioneer Peter Lagan.
Fullwood is a long-time trainer who prepares a small team on the outskirts of Cranbourne in Victoria but has never been a major yearling sales player before so his purchase of the top lot was a massive surprise.
But he was determined to buy the colt after two earlier attempts to breed to Western Hanover failed.
Fullwood, who trains 10 horses when not running an automotive parts business in Melbourne, bred two of his own mares to Western Hanover last year. One failed to get in foal, the other produced a foal which died of blood poisoning after three weeks.
"That is when I decided to go out and buy a Western Hanover colt and this was the one I wanted," said Fullwood of the bay colt.
The sale was a double triumph for Ohaka trainer Wayne Ross, who prepared the colt for yesterday. Fullwood has asked him to train the youngster for at least the first 12 months of his career.
Ross has an outstanding record with young horses, having put the early touches on Courage Under Fire and Tupelo Rose.
Of the northern trainers active at the top end of the market yesterday Ray Norton and Mark Purdon purchased the most expensive lots. Purdon paid $46,000 for an In The Pocket colt out of Love Isin The Air while Norton paid $45,000 for a Falcon Seelster colt out of Magnificent Yield.
PGG were happy with yesterday's $16,000 average, compared with just over $17,000 for the two days last year.
"Buyers were cautious being the first day but I think more will jump in tomorrow and that should mean the average will increase to at least the same at last year, which would be an amazing result considering we are selling 100 more horses here this year," said Lagan.
The sale will undoubtedly pick up today with more of the star lots to be sold, including two by Western Hanover.
There will also be brothers to Under Cover Lover and Yulestar, a sister to Courage Under Fire, a half-brother to Stars And Stripes as well as brothers or sisters to standout performers Bogan Fella, Happy Asset, The Unicorn, Classy Filly, Justice Prevails and trotters Little Rock and Sunny Action, the only horse in the last two years to beat champion Lyell Creek.
The sales move to Karaka on Thursday where the catalogue is even stronger.
Racing: Victorian veteran starts sales week with huge surprise
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