The international and domestic buying bench went head-to-head during the 2024 National Online Yearling Sale held on Gavelhouse Plus, with top prices secured by the progeny of Ace High, King’s Legacy, Per Incanto, and Zousain just to name a few.
However, it was the renowned nursery Brighthill Farm’s, Lot 36 that came out on top. The filly by in-form sire Written Tycoon from Mozzie Monster (Sebring) was secured by Stephen Marsh and Dylan Johnson Bloodstock for $80,000.
“We love Written Tycoon as a stallion, and his fillies are like gold, they are getting harder to source,” commented Dylan Johnson.
“We’ve had great success with his chestnut fillies, Velocious winning the TAB Karaka Millions 2YO and following it up with a Group One win, while Glamour Tycoon has been very impressive this season.
“She [Lot 36] is being syndicated and there are shares still available. She has a fantastic pedigree being the first foal from a winning stakes-performed Sebring mare.
“We are thrilled to have secured such a nice one for incredible value,” he added.
Lot 22, a gelding by the first-season sire King’s Legacy was also snapped up by the Stephen Marsh Racing and Dylan Johnson Bloodstock combination for $41,000 from Landsdowne Park’s draft.
Offered by Landsdowne Park
Prominent owner Daniel Nakhle secured two lots on behalf of the Entain Student Stable. He went to $48,000 for Lot 15, a daughter of Per Incanto from Landsdowne Park’s draft, and then later purchased Lot 73, a colt by Ocean Park for $26,000 from Rich Hill Stud.
“It was a no-brainer to support the school and its students, and with Entain giving us massive support it was something I really wanted to do,” commented Nakhle.
“It will be a great learning curve for these students and Donovan Mansour will be running the stable at Cambridge.
“It’s a very exciting adventure for the students before they head into the world of work,” he added.
“We think the Per Incanto filly will be a lovely three-year-old, she was beautifully presented, and I just fell in love with the Ocean Park – the Landsdowne Park and Rich Hill team have prepared these yearlings brilliantly.”
There were a number of notable trainers and agents active during the online auction, with Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia, Japan, and New Zealand all represented on the buyers lists.
Australian trainer Mick Price who co-trains in partnership with Michael Kent Jnr, went to $31,000 for Lot 16 the daughter of Ace High from Kiara from Rich Hill Stud’s draft. While Richardson Racing and Brendon McCullum teamed up to purchase Lot 25 a filly by Zousain for $32,000 from the same draft.
NZB Bloodstock Sales Manager Kane Jones reflected on the evening of selling.
“We saw good interest and strong competition for the quality yearlings on offer, and those who did their homework have come away with some lovely horses.”
“Our buyers have a good grasp of the online format, with an abundance of information supplied by our vendors, providing full transparency and confidence in the product on offer.
“The Karaka Millions eligibility has proven a huge drawcard for the Sale, and I fully expect some of these horses to be competing in the Series over the coming seasons,” he added.
“The team is working hard behind the scenes, and we expect to sell more horses over the next few days.”
All unbroken yearlings purchased from the National Online Yearling Sale are eligible to be nominated for NZB’s lucrative Karaka Millions Series. Just nine short months after they make their virtual sale-ring debut, graduates of the online sale can compete for a share of the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and the $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m). Entries close Friday 17 May 2024.
To make enquiries about any Passed Lots contact Patrick Cunningham on +64 21 181 5898 or email Patrick.Cunningham@nzb.co.nz, or Andrew Buick on +64 27 555 0640 or email Andrew.Buick@nzb.co.nz.
