STRONGER selling in the second session saw New Zealand Bloodstock's Premier Yearling Sale surpass last year's figures to register an average of NZ$150,881 from 298 yearlings sold from the 400 offered for a clearance rate of 75%. The aggregate of $44,962,500 helped create a median of $120,000, up from $110,000 in 2014.

"As is often the case, the second day was overall a stronger day of selling, and to post figures ahead of last year’s sale is a very pleasing result," said NZB's Petrea Vela. "It was great to see David Ellis again to the fore, together with a notable increase in strength from the Australian bench, with its overall spend increasing from last year."

For the fourth year in a row Fastnet Rock was the leading Premier Sale sire by average (for stallions with three or more sold). From 16 offered, his 14 progeny to sell averaged NZ$320,357 for an aggregate of $4,485,000. Surpassing him on aggregate through were the Waikato Stud pair of Savabeel and O'Reilly. They tallied up $7,195,000 and $5,485,000 respectively with 38 Savabeel yearlings averaging $189,342 and 37 O'Reilly yearlings averaging $148,243. Consequently it was no surprise that Waikato Stud were the leading vendor by aggregate, a mantle they took over in 2014 from Irishman Gordon Cunningham's Curraghmore Stud who broke the 31-year reign of Cambridge Stud in 2013.

With 40 yearlings sold, Waikato Stud had an aggregate of $6.86 million and averaged $171,500. "Since Karaka 2014 our stallions have had some massive results on the track and it just makes getting this sort of result so much easier with our stallions performing so well," said Waikato's Mark Chittick. "Clearance rate is our primary focus (13 of their draft of 53 passed-in) but this is rewarding for the team who put a huge amount of effort into getting these horses to the sale." Waikato also achieved their highest individual price ever when a Fastnet Rock colt they offered out of Dance On By, a full-sister to High Chaparral sold for $600,000. The second top lot of the sale, he will be trained by Bart and James Cummings.

SO YOU THINK

Whilst represented by just seven yearlings in the Premier Sale it was fitting that So You Think, a New Zealand-bred High Chaparral, should be the leading first season sire. His five to sell from seven offered averaged NZ$190,000. The top sale being $420,000 for the half-brother to Zabeel's Victoria Derby winner from the spring, Preferment, bought by Cameron Cooke and Lloyd Kennewell. Other freshman sires to feature prominently were Foxwedge, Smart Missile, Redwood, Dalghar and Jimmy Choux, whilst Cambridge Stud's Cape Blanco was the strongest in numbers. His 20 yearlings to sell made $2,780,000 at an average of $139,000.

FILLY TOPS

For the first time in 10 years, a filly topped the sale. By Fastnet Rock, the filly out of the Group 1 winning Captain Rio mare ll Quello Veloce sold for NZ$800,000, the same price as last year's top lot, a colt also by Fastnet Rock. "I topped this Sale about 23 years ago as a vendor with a filly, and today I topped the Sale buying a filly. She is a gorgeous filly, the best I've seen at this sale in 10 years," said Te Akau principal David Ellis who was the leading buyer for the fourth straight year. Signing for 22 yearlings at an aggregate of $3.57 million Ellis' bought multiple progeny of just four stallions; three Fastnet Rocks (average of $473,333), four Savabeels (average of $147,500), four Darci Brahmas (average of $87,500) and two High Chaparrals (average of $70,000).

Cambridge Stud, for so long the backbone of the Karaka yearling sales, starred on the opening day of the Premier Sale. Two of their yearlings, offered consecutively, topped day one of the sale, A More Then Ready colt out of Lovetrista which Peter Moody paid NZ$470,000 for and a Cape Blanco filly out of Love Diamonds secured by Graeme Rogerson for $450,000.

More poignantly though was the act of Sir Patrick Hogan leading in the final Zabeel yearling ever to be sold. Lot 102, a colt, went to Marcus Corban Bloodstock for $160,000 which 75-year-old Hogan described as "an absolutely huge buzz and felt fantastic personally. It was so exciting and is the part of the industry I miss the most. I would love to still be leading each lot through the ring today." A Zabeel filly offered earlier in the session by Trelawney Stud was passed-in. "It is so lovely that Zabeel is still here at the age of rising 29 and left a Derby winner from his last three-year-old crop," added Hogan. "Today was all about him and his success and it felt like a great chance to honour him."