A look back on this week’s historic NZB Ready To Run Sale.

New Zealand Bloodstock is celebrating a historic Ready To Run Sale, which wrapped up at Karaka on Thursday.

The iconic offering was highlighted by what had been the record price for an individual lot at the sale being at least matched six times, while all KPIs were also up on last year.

The sale grossed NZ$35,107,000, which was up a tick under $10m – or 39 percent – on last year, while the $156,031 average dwarfed the 2022 number of $129,159, an increase of 21 percent.

The top lot was a colt by Star Turn who sold for $825,000, which was $125,000 up on the previous record, while there were two $800,000 lots, a $750,000 Deep Field colt and a $725,000 Written Tycoon colt.

A half-sister to Kovalica, by Super Seth, also readjusted the record price for a filly at the sale when she sold for $700,000.

"I'm gobsmacked, these results are just unheard of," NZB's managing director Andrew Seabrook said.

"So thrilled for the vendors and very proud of our team at NZB who have been building relationships with some of these buyers over several years."

"I've never seen so many Hong Kong trainers here, and great they had their owners here which made a huge difference."

"A great way to finish today and no doubt it will give everyone confidence going into the yearling sales."

The leading buyer title was secured by Hong Kong-based Mr Yeung Kin Man, who secured 12 lots for a total spend of $2.4 million, including the $800,000 gelding by All Too Hard out of Tuscany Lady.

That gelding was sold by Riversley Park, which secured the leading vendor title for the seventh consecutive year, selling 26 lots for $5.3 million. 

Eion and Megan Kemp of Kilgravin Lodge claimed the leading vendor by average title, after 16 two-year-olds were sold for an average of $300,781, including the other $800,000 lots – a colt by Harry Angel who sold on Day 1.

The leading sire by average was Zoustar with three lots selling for an average of $466,667, followed by Capitalist who also had three lots sell for an average of $355,000