3 minute read
I Am Invincible readjusted another record in New Zealand on Wednesday.
The record price for a two-year-old sold at auction in Australasia was readjusted on Wednesday, when New Zealand Bloodstock's Ready to Run Sale kicked off.
A colt I Am Invincible out of Group 1 winner Shillelagh now owns the top honour after selling to Te Akau Racing for NZ$1,650,000.
It bettered the previous mark of AU$1 million, which was set at Inglis' Ready2Run Sale last month.
"The fact that we trained Shillelagh for Christopher and Susanna Grace makes this quite special for Te Akau, but the simple fact is that I thought he was easily the nicest colt I've ever seen at the Ready to Run Sale," Ellis said.
"I was on the toe the whole time he was in the ring, because I really wanted to take this horse home.
"At one stage my wife Karyn [Fenton-Ellis] said to me, 'If you really, really like this colt, don't be beaten.'
"That gave me the confidence to put in those last couple of bids."
The top lot was prepared and offered for sale by Kiltannon Stales.
The $1.65m colt led the way as the sale aggregate reached $18,547,000, which was up 14 percent on last year at the same stage.
The average of $173,336 is up 10 percent on last year, with the median sitting at $90,000.
The day's second top lot was also by I Am Invincible, a colt out of La Luna Rossa who sold to Yulong for $675,000 and will be trained by a man Yulong experienced great success with this spring.
"Vinnie is a champion stallion, and this colt has a really nice pedigree page to match," Fairgray said.
"He put his head down and paraded well, and I really liked his breeze up. He'll head back to Australia and take it easy and will be trained by Chris Waller."
Three others cracked $500,000; a Proisir gelding who sold to Andrew Williams and Hong Kong Bloodstock for $650,000, an Ole Kirk gelding bought by Magnus Equine for $550,000, the same amount a Hong Kong group headed up by Douglas Whyte paid for a colt by Deep Field.
The 2024 NZB Ready to Run Sale continues on Thursday.