Disastrous sale for many vendors

Press, 13 August 1983, Page 24

Disastrous sale for many vendors

By

W. R. CARSTON

The sixteenth renewal of the annual South Island Bloodstock Sale held in Christchurch over the last two days will not be recalled as the most memorable on record. In fact, from the point of view of many vendors it will probably be regarded as a disaster.

As always there was a demand for quality stock but many of the 300-odd lots offered in this year’s catalogue were from unfashionable families and not at all well presented. This contributed to the whole exercise becoming uncompetitive.

Although 80 lots changed hands yesterday only one of those reached five figures and two others were in the high four-figure bracket. Top price on the second day was the $ll,OOO paid by Belmont Lodge, Wellington, for Smokin’ Rose, which was offered on behalf of Mrs P. A. Anderton and Mr H. R. McDonald of Mosgiel. This four-year-old daughter of Noble Bijou and the Gatekeeper mare, In the Red, was carrying a positive test to Beaufort Sea. Wrightson NMA, of Invercargill, as agents, went to $9OOO to secure an attrac-

tive chestnut filly by Approval from the Bellborough mare, Night Bell. This two-year-old was from a draft of 21 offered for unreserved sale by the Chelandry Stud, Prebbleton.

Only three lots, two of them from the “bargain basement,” were purchased by Australain buyers yesterday. The top price was $BOOO paid by Mr John Cleaves, a horse breeder from Pokolbin, New South Wales, for Lynda’s Grey, a seven-year-old Grey GullLyndabelle mare offered on behalf of Messrs D. A. and G. L. Robertson, of Gore.

In all only 32 lots were sold for $lOOO or more and the aggregate for the 80 lots sold, plus a stallion service to Turn the Tide, totalled $101,900. The total for the 184 lots sold during the two days was $395,950, an average just short of $2152. This year’s total and average was the worst in the last three years. Last year 111 lots changed hands for $529,900, an average of almost $4774, in 1981,120 lots were sold for $421,390, an average of $3517, and in 1980, 103 lots bought in $399,100, at an average of $3875.