Kheir, Becker Snag Top Colts at NZB Ready2Run Day Two

New Zealand Bloodstock can look towards next year's Karaka Yearling Sale with renewed vigor after a strong finish to the company's Ready to Run Sale Nov. 18 which was spurred on by international demand for high-end colts.

Four of the six highest-priced 2-year-olds sold at the two-day sale were auctioned Thursday and all of them will head offshore to race after prominent Australian buyers and Hong Kong trainers dominated much of the virtual Te Rapa sale.

The competition, with the assistance of on-the-ground New Zealand agents who were able to inspect the horses on behalf of overseas-based parties, helped the NZB Ready to Run Sale achieve a record average of NZ$121,580, which was up 28% on the 2020 sale. The median of $80,000 was also up on the $60,000 recorded last year.

In total, $20.547 million was spent on 169 horses over the two days of the NZB sale, $9.5 million of which was from buyers who were bidding online through the NZB digital portal.

"It's a great relief and we're delighted. To think last year we didn't have international buyers here and this year we had the added difficulty of not only no international buyers being there, but no horses present as well," NZB managing director Andrew Seabrook told ANZ Bloodstock News.

"It was really treading into the unknown being at a temporary base, but it came together really well. The top was so strong. We sold 37 horses for over $200,000 this year compared to 25 last year."

The clearance rate was the one figure to suffer as a result of the closed international border and the forced transfer of the sale away from Auckland to Te Rapa due to COVID-19 restrictions.

As of yesterday evening, it was at 66% compared to 77% at the same time last year, but Seabrook hopes that figure can go beyond 70% in the coming days.

"The clearance rate has come down, but I guess with the horses not being there on site, it made that spec buying harder," he said.

"If a horse was passed in, the buyer couldn't just then go and have a quick look at them and give them the once over. That made it harder to get some of those horses away.

"That's the reason why the clearance rate has gone down. Having said that, I am still in the office up here in Karaka and Regan (Donnison) has just sold four horses in the last 20 minutes and that will keep going into the wee hours."

Kheir's $625,000 Pierro Colt to Join Busuttin and Young Stable

Group 1 Bloodstock's Mathew Becker, with the backing of leading Melbourne owner Ozzie Kheir, hit the bullseye on three out of four occasions at the NZB sale, including when aiming up at an impressive Pierro colt who sold for $625,000 Thursday.

The pair also bought a Sacred Falls  colt yesterday for $600,000 and another 2-year-old by the same sire on day one for $300,000.

The only lot Becker and Kheir, who won the Ladbrokes Caulfield Cup (G1), Lexus Melbourne Cup (G1), and a Victoria Derby (G1) over the past two months, missed out on was the $640,000 Savabeel  colt who was purchased on day one by Te Akau Racing's David Ellis.

Kheir and Becker were under bidders on the eventual sales topper.

Breezing up in :11 1/5 on a Slow 9 surface at Te Rapa, the high-priced Pierro colt is a horse who Becker and Kheir believe meets their criteria of being capable of excelling in middle distance races at 3 years and older.

"He breezed up particularly well and very sharply for a Pierro. They are the sort of horses that Ozzie really likes, the middle distance horses with a turn of foot," Becker told ANZ Bloodstock News.

"Ozzie basically plays in all areas of the market—yearlings, the internationals from Europe, and the breeze-up horses—but we're essentially looking for the same sort of horse.

"If we are buying them here in Australia (or New Zealand) essentially they're Guineas style horses and he may be a horse who fits that profile.

"He should be a horse who gets that trip and a horse who will be better as a 3-year-old."

Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, who prepare group 2 winner Forgot You for Kheir and his ownership group, will train the juvenile by Coolmore Stud's Pierro, who was cataloged as Lot 195.

He was initially purchased by a syndicate which includes prominent New Zealand media identity Mick Guerin and Riversley Park's Sam Beatson for AU$150,000 from the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in April to pinhook through the New Zealand sale.

"A horse like him, he took it all in his stride and just got better and better with work," Beatson said.

"I knew he was going to make a bit of money, but to make that sort of money was outstanding."

Offered by Sledmere Stud at the Easter sale, he is the second living foal out of the group 3-placed Fastneck Rock mare Mary Lou.

Busuttin and Young will also train a Sacred Falls (O'R colt they bought in partnership with Becker and Kheir for $300,000 on day one, cataloged as Lot 73 from the Ohukia Lodge draft.

Becker, Bjorn, and Ozzie Also Take Shine to Kiwi-bred Sacred Falls Colt

Becker and Kheir also teamed up with Sydney trainer Bjorn Baker for the Sacred Falls half brother to this season's ATC Flight Stakes (G1) winning filly Never Been Kissed.

The juvenile, cataloged as Lot 218, breezed up in :10 4/5 seconds on a Heavy 10 surface and he immediately attracted an opening $200,000 bid from the makeshift Te Rapa sales ring before closing out at $600,000.

Like the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Never Been Kissed, who also finished runner-up to Profondo in the Spring Champion Stakes (G1) this spring, the Ohukia Lodge-consigned colt was bred by Waikato Stud.

"For a Sacred Falls it's a lot of money, but he is a half to a group 1 winner and he's a good physical," Becker said.

"Bjorn Baker said he was the only one he wanted and he said if we just took one horse, that's the one. He is another one who is going to be a 3-year-old, more than a 2-year-old, but he's in the right stable for that and if he can bob up in those good 3-year-old Classic races, then he's got a stallion's pedigree.

"Again, he is another example of the horses we're targeting."

The colt is the second foal out of the three-time winner Movie, a blood-sister to New Zealand Oaks (G1) winner Savvy Coup and a three-quarter sister to group 2 winner Ocean Emperor.

He was initially an entry for the NZB Karaka Yearling Sale last January, but Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick chose to hold him back for the 2-year-old sale.

"He's got the attitude and everything to make a stallion, now we just need to hope that he can go out and do it on the track," Ohukia Lodge's Jamie Beatson said.

Baker's Queensland-based agent Jim Clarke also played a key role in identifying the horse.

"I do a fair bit of work with Jim and we were lucky enough to talk to Ozzie Kheir, who has had a lot of success lately, and he will be coming into the horse so it's all worked out really well," Baker said.

"It's one step at a time (from now on) and we will get the colt over here and have a good look at him."

Becker revealed the Kheir-Baker relationship is one he expects to grow in the future.

"Ozzie's partnered with Bjorn on that horse and his clients will be joining us, but he will be racing in the Ozzie Kheir colors," he said.

"He has had shares in horses with Bjorn before, but to be honest, we've been looking to get some more horses there for a little while, but we just haven't found the right opportunity and this horse presented itself and part of the attraction of the horse for Ozzie was that Bjorn was already set on buying him and this was an opportunity to support him.

"He's a great guy and an excellent trainer and we're hoping to have more horses there in the future."

Becker said many of the agents and buyers were "landing on the same quality lots" throughout the NZB sale.

"But that's not surprising as that happens at a breeze-up sale. I don't think there's anything new in that, but having restricted movement of people to the sale, it really affects that middle market where people might buy on spec or standing near the ring and something's going cheaper than they thought," the Melbourne-based agent said.

"Those horses normally get cleaned up, but if you haven't done your X-rays and your scopes and everything and you haven't inspected them pre-sale, it's very hard to bid away.

"That is where the softening in the market was. The Australians have been pretty strong on these top lots.

"Overall, considering the situation and the cards that NZB have been dealt, I think they will be pleased with the sale. It looks like it's got stronger (on day two).

"I think they will be encouraged by that and hopefully the clearance rate tidies itself up."

Once again, Te Akau's David Ellis was the leading buyer, purchasing 11 lots over the two days for a total spend of $2.05 million at an average of $215,556 while Hong Kong trainer Jimmy Ting bought three lots on day one for a combined $820,000.

Agent Phill Cataldo bought seven horses for various owners, Bruce Perry signed for five, Waikato Bloodstock's Bryce Tankard bought three lots for a spend of $700,000 on behalf of clients and Upper Bloodstock also bought three horses.

The leading vendor by aggregate was Riversley Park who sold 22 juveniles for $4,657,500 at an average of $211,705 and the leading vendor by average was Regal Farm who sold three lots for an average price of $213,333.

Seabrook was proud of the New Zealand industry and his own NZB team who helped put on a successful two-year-old sale under difficult circumstances.

"For a lot of the consignors, this sale is their one chance to derive their income for the year, so it is very important they have success," Seabrook said.

"When we have a good Ready to Run Sale, it augurs well for the yearling sales because it gives them the confidence to go and bid at the yearling sales in March (at Karaka)."

The NZB Karaka Yearling Sale is scheduled from March 7-12 next year.