Westbury Stud lots sold at Karaka

The 258 lots offered by Westbury Stud at the opening session of New Zealand Bloodstock's four-day national weanling and broodmare sale at Karaka all sold yesterday.

They realised a total of $1,428,025.

Westbury Stud co-owner, Russell Warwick, confirmed he was satisfied with the results at yesterday's sale.

"We knew going into the sale that there would be mixed results over the course of the day, but overall we are happy with how it has gone, particularly as the sale picked up throughout the broodmare session.

"With these horses now all sold we are very excited about moving into the next phase of Westbury Stud's strategy of acquiring some top quality stock and planning our assault at the top end of the Australasian market."

NZ Bloodstock marketing and PR manager, Petrea Vela, said the sale was a great opportunity for buyers.

"It is not often we have this type of unreserved sale at Karaka, and many buyers capitalised on the opportunity to bid with confidence knowing that every horse had to be sold. The good quality horses sold well which should bode well for the main sale in the coming days."

The top price came from Westbury's broodmare draft. From stakeswinning mare, Getting There, Lot 242 Earnout ( by Danasinga) sold for $100,000 to NZB as agent on behalf of a buyer from Victoria. Earnout is believed to be in foal to Align.

A further 647 horses are catalogued for sale from tomorrow.

More than 300 weanlings are offered, including 18 as part of Fayette Park Stud's unreserved weanling dispersal.

On Monday will be the general session weanlings, yearlings, two year olds, tried and untried stock, and the start of the broodmares. On Tuesday the rest of the 250 broodmare entries go under the hammer.