Waikato horseman Jim Collett will head to his third successive New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale at Te Rapa on Wednesday and he is hoping his 100 percent sale rate continues at the Hamilton venue.
“The last two years I have taken horses to the ready to run sales and I have sold everything,” Collett said.
“I have dabbled a bit in years prior with one or two horses. I generally buy a couple of yearlings myself to develop and sell, generally fillies because they meet a domestic market.”
Collett has a six-strong draft for this year’s sale and he is expecting strong international interest for a number of his two-year-olds.
“I have got a really athletic Tivaci (lot 272) out of a race mare (Rosetti Bay) who won six races. He moves really well and is a nice horse, I expect him to sell quite well,” he said.
“I have a really nice Merchant Navy colt out of Maddie de Belle, he is more of a three-year-old type. He is a nice horse with good size and good strength.
“I have a couple of other quite nice horses there. I am more than happy with my draft.”
Collett will offer the only two juveniles in the sale by Coolmore stallion Merchant Navy, and he is expecting strong interest in both lots.
“They are client horses that were bought in Australia and brought back to New Zealand for this sale,” Collett said.
“It’s nice to have two by an exciting new sire who was a fast horse himself.”
Having sold at last year’s Ready To Run Sale, which also faced COVID-19 restrictions, Collett said this year’s sale has a similar feeling.
“It has a similar feel to last year and I think last year went really well, I think they sold really well,” he said.
“There is no doubt that there are horses out there who are going to be bought because overseas countries need them – they have permits to fill.
“I think quite a few will sell well.”
