Star Way colt tops sale

Press, 29 January 1988, Page 25

Star Way colt tops sale

PA Hamilton In an up-and-down final day’s selling where the average price fluctuated between almost $50,000 and $lB,OOO, the twentysecond Wrightson Bloodstock Waikato Yearling Sale was largely a most successful event and augurs well for next week’s first national sale at Karaka. Top price yesterday, $130,000 for a Star Way colt, came nowhere near the previous day’s record outlay of $lBO,OOO but on the whole the third day of selling continued the highly satisfactory trend of the opening two days of the Waikato sale. Over the three days of selling $11,585,317 changed hands, some 548 yearlings finding new homes from the 743 lots .that were auctioned. But ■195 yearlings failed to

reach their vendors’ reserves and from the original catalogue of 840 lots, 97 were withdrawn.

The 1988 aggregate fell short, by about $573,000, of the total figure amassed last year of $12,158,250. The average was also slightly less than 12 months ago; the 1987 figure was $21,218. This year, there were nine extra passings and five more withdrawals, although there were 11 less horses catalogued and 18 fewer sold.

Yesterday’s fluctuating buying kept interest high. The day began well with the first and third lots making $30,000 and $35,000 respectively. Just eight lots later the highlight of the day entered the ring, ing chestnut colt by Wind-

sor Park Stud stallion, Star Way, from the Without Fear broodmare, Intrepid Storm. After some spirited bidding on the colt, one of the draft of Cambridge’s Pencarrow Stud, auctioneer Peter Kelly finally knocked the youngster down to the bid of leading Victorian trainer, Geoff Murphy, for $130,000. The Tuhikaramea (near Hamilton) trainer, Graeme Rogerson, who was easily the leading New Zealand buyer with 11 purchases, paid $90,000, the day’s third best price, for an attractive chestnut colt by the young sire, Kingsbridge, from the winning Habat mare, Kim’s Habit. The colt was offered for sale by Papatoetoe’s Redoubt Farm Ltd and is from a leading European family. The day’s highest pass-

ing was the $50,000 refused by the Combined Breeders (NZ) Ltd, Cambridge, for their grey filly by One Pound Sterling from the Pevero mare Nu Vogue, a daughter of Railway winner, Lilt.

Australians again dominated the buying, outlaying just over S7M on some 276 yearlings. New Zealanders bought 266 lots at a cost of $4,393,317 while English buyers and Singaporean buyers bought two each with Hong Kong and American buyers one each.

Haunui Farm, Manurewa, were easily the leading vendor, their 35 yearlings that sold fetching $841,000 at an average of $24,028. Last year’s top sellers, Allegra Park, Cambridge,, came second this time. Their 30 yearlings realised (average $20,400).

A Sydney trainer, Paul Sutherland, was by far the biggest buyer, spending $761,000 on 20 yearlings at an average cost of $38,050.

On the stallion side of things, Noalcoholic, with his one yearling for $llO,OOO, was at the top but of those which had two or more yearlings sold, Star Way (nine, $650,000, average $72,222), Vice Regal (nine, $426,000, average $47,333) and the impressive young stallion, Kingsbridge, (15, $610,000, average $40,667) figured very well on the list. It was clearly a sale for colts, their average on the 337 that sold reaching $22,303. The fillies average was $19,136 for the 213 that changed hands. Of the 10 top lots, only two were fillies with colts b£ing the leading eight sales.