Three weanlings equal top price

Press, 13 May 1988, Page 25

Three weanlings equal top price

PA Auckland Three weanlings, two by the highly-regarded American stallion, Tights, brought equal top price at the tenth National Weanling Sale at Karaka on Wednesday. A colt by Tights (Nijinsky II — Dancealot, by Round Table) from the stakeswinning Sharivari mare, Shaniura, cost Alan Bell, a veterinary surgeon from Paramatta, New South Wales, $26,000, as did a filly, by the same sire, from the sprint winning Sir Tristram mare, Celtic Joy. She was bought by Matamata’s Curragh Lodge. The other sale topper was a filly by leading juvenile sire, Straight Strike, from the imported Wolver Hollow mare, Wood Glade, bought by Arran Bloodstock, of Christchurch.

Mr Bell was the leading over-all buyer, taking six lots for $60,300. He intends to lease the weanlings to clients. The agreggate for the weanling sale was $633,950, an increase of 14.6 per cent on last year’s total of $553,250. The average for the 172 lots sold was $3686, a 25 per cent increase on the $2943 average for 188 weanlings sold last year. Passings totalled 22, 49 fewer than last year, and withdrawals 38, 12 fewer than last year. Australian buyers, as usual, were active. They bought 41 weanlings for a total of $289,150. The second biggest spender was Russell Hinze’s Waverley Park Stud, Queensland, which took six lots for $46,000.

The Brisbane-based bloodstock company Elders Pastoral was the next biggest spender, also taking sfk lots, for a total of $45,750.