A half-brother to Hong Kong sprinting star and Ready to Run Sale graduate Lucky Sweynesse is enteredNo other thoroughbred auction of its kind has a record to compare with New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale, and the catalogue released this week sends a clear message that the 2023 vintage will deliver more of the same.
Over the past 12 months dominant Hong Kong duo Lucky Sweynesse and Golden Sixty, new Australian star Mr Brightside and New Zealand’s best male three-year-old stayer Sharp ’N’ Smart led the way on the Ready to Run Sale honour roll.
Eight Group One races among 26 stakes wins during 2022-23 took the Ready to Run Sale record over the past five years to 23 Group Ones and a grand total of more than 100 black-type wins. Compare that to just four Group One wins and 61 stakes races for Inglis and Magic Millions two-year-old sale graduates over the same timeframe and it’s inarguable that NZB’s Karaka version is the go-to source.
On top of the quality on offer and the results that have followed, the other factor setting the NZB Ready to Run Sale apart is the value to be found in the Karaka ring. Triple Hong Kong Horse of the Year Golden Sixty was at $300,000 one of the higher priced lots of the 2017 sale, but that pales in comparison to his bankroll of more than HK$147 million (equating to more than NZ$30m) – more than 100 times his sale price.
Likewise, Lucky Sweynesse changed hands for $90,000 at the 2020 sale and his stake-earnings ahead of his return to the track on the first day of the new Hong Kong season this weekend stand at HK$45.6 million (NZ$9.6m).
Bargain examples include emerging Australian stakes winners Antino at $27,000, Dolphin Skin for a mere $13,000 and Mr Brightside, who was passed through the ring at $50,000. Sharp ’N’ Smart also passed in at $90,000, while Dunkel, the winner last autumn of the South Australian Derby, fetched $100,000.
“On the score of graduate success our Ready to Run Sale stands out as the best sale of its type anywhere in the world,” NZB Bloodstock Sales Manager Kane Jones told RaceForm following the release of the 2023 catalogue.
“Horse to come out of this sale as two-year-olds have performed amazingly well. Their record in recent years is outstanding, and particularly over the past 12 months when you look at the record of graduates in Hong Kong, Australia and on the local scene.
“To think that Golden Sixty, who has been crowned Hong Kong Horse of the Year for a record third time, and the other star of Hong Kong racing, Lucky Sweynesse, the world’s top-rated sprinter, both came out of the sale is quite incredible.
“Then you’ve got others like Sharp ’N’ Smart, Mr Brightside and Dunkel performing in this part of the world – there’s no better advertisement than horses of that calibre.”
The overall strength of the 383-lot catalogue is in Jones’s view further cause for optimism ahead of the sale scheduled for November 22 and 23.
“To have significant numbers for leading stallions such as Savabeel (9), Proisir (12), Per Incanto (6), Ocean Park (20) and Sweynesse (12), as well as the progeny of Australian stallions like I Am Invincible, Snitzel and Fastnet Rock, that alone means a catalogue of real depth.
“It’s also worth noting there are siblings to Lucky Sweynesse (by Contributor), Kermadec (Turn Me Loose) and Kovalica (Super Seth), which along with so many others means there will be no shortage of quality for buyers to choose from.
“The other factor that we should not lose sight of is the depth of skill amongst those horse-people preparing drafts. The people breeding and buying horses for this sale really know what they’re doing, which is one very good reason that the sale is so successful.
“The team at New Zealand Bloodstock are looking forward as always to the breeze ups at Te Rapa in October – that’s when the momentum really begins to build – and come sale time we’re expecting buyers from our major Asian and Australian markets to be strong on the ground.
“We’re also very encouraged by the uplift in stakes and other exciting initiatives on the local scene since the Entain partnership with the TAB became a reality. Where ever we go lately we’re hearing so many positive vibes out there amongst our stakeholders, which has got to be healthy for the entire industry.”
To view the 2023 NZB Ready to Run Sale catalogue online go to https://www.nzb.co.nz/sales/23rtr
