NZB Standardbred’s highly anticipated 2020 All Age Sale saw New Zealand’s largest breeding stock go under the digital hammer on New Zealand Bloodstock’s online subsidiary platform gavelhouse.com.

Despite initial COVID-19 uncertainty, the first-ever sale of its kind saw 138 lots sell for a total turnover of $1,042,310. The average reached $7,553 and the median settled at $4,550.

The confidence in the market over the past week of bidding has been reflected in the strong clearance rate, which topped the 97% threshold at the close of selling.

NZB Director and Operations Manager James Jennings was delighted with the outcome of the Sale.

“I think it’s a great result in light of recent and unprecedented circumstances.

“The support and commitment we received from vendors was echoed by the remarkable clearance rate and their enthusiasm to meet the market.

“There was a strong, international buying bench present and we are thankful for their participation in the Sale,” said Jennings.

The top-priced Lot of the session was an Art Major weanling colt out of Alta Camilla (Lot 75). The colt was secured for $52,500 by Stonewall Stud’s Jill Stockman from the draft of Alabar Farms.

“He is from a great family and is a very nice looking colt, we are happy to have secured him,” said Stockman.

Stockman had completed her research prior to the Sale taking place.

“The online bidding experience has been really good overall, it was certainly a different experience but Steve Telfer had gone to look at the horses first, so we knew exactly what we were bidding on.”

First season sires were in hot-demand this evening, highlighted by Stonewall Stud’s purchase of Lot 35, a Downbytheseseaside filly out of Revere Me for $50,000 from the draft of Woodlands Stud.

“She is a lovely filly and I think given her pedigree she would have made six figures had she gone through the ring next February.

“She definitely ticked all the boxes for us,” said Stockman.

Over the Tasman, prominent buyer Jean Feiss locked in Lot 26, another Woodlands Stud colt by Downbytheseaside out of Panforte for $26,000.

Feiss was pleased with her purchase, “normally I don’t go for first season sires but I just liked the type of weanling he was, that’s what attracted me to him.

“He could have been anything, I truly thought he was an outstanding weanling.”

The previous owner of Vincent herself, Feiss also secured two of his offspring, Lot 44 (ex Sheza Monkee) filly and Lot 103 (ex Delightful Lover) filly for $19,000 and $26,000 respectively.

“I really liked these two fillies, their breeding stood out to me as well as their exceptional type.

“Overall Vincent has produced some outstanding types and I hope they are going to represent his results on the track.

Feiss was pleased with the outcome of the digital format but is looking forward to getting back into the physical auction ring.

“I think given the circumstances it went very well, it has been great to see vendors rewarded and buyers being able to secure good stock but I think we are all looking forward to when things can go back to normal,” said Feiss.

Alabar Farms (NZ) General Manager Graeme Henley was elated with the result of his resident first season sire Vincent.

“We thought the Sale went great overall, the biggest thing we were thrilled about was how Vincent’s progeny sold.

“It was a great outcome for us and it was nice to see them receive the prices they deserve.

“It’s been a lot of work and a bit of a roller coaster leading up to the Sale but the results we achieved today has made it all worthwhile,” commented Henley.

First-time digital buyer Shane Sanderson was pleased with the simple online process on the gavelhouse.com Standardbred platform.

“It was easy for me to get verified as a buyer and a good experience. I ended up purchasing Lot 59, a Rock N Roll Heaven filly from a good producing family for $20,000. I actually trained one of the half-sisters so I was pretty happy,” said Sanderson.

All weanlings offered at the 2020 All Age Sale are eligible for the NZB Standardbred Harness Million Series, with approximately $1million in prizemoney on offer.  If you wish to notify and enter your horse into the Series, please contact Rachel Deegan (Rachel.Deegan@nzb.co.nz or +64 3 381 0141). 

To make enquiries about any Passed Lots, contact Cam Bray on +64 21 737 199.

To view the full 2020 All Age Sale results on gavelhouse.com Standardbred click here.

2020 All Age Sale Statistics

Aggregate	$ 1,042,310
Average	$ 7,553
Median	$ 4,550
Sold	138
Offered	142
Clearance	97%

Bidding is set to close on New Zealand Bloodstock Standardbred’s online All Age Sale today.

Final bids on the first Lot closes at 1pm and when this auction closes, final bids will then be taken on Lot 2 and so on and so forth as we work our way through the 148 Lot catalogue.  

Those planning on bidding must familiarise themselves with the bidding tips below and can call +64 9 269 4436 should they have any questions.

As of Wednesday morning, just over half of the horses on offer have met their reserves. The two highest priced Lots thus far are Lot 75, a colt by Art Major in Alta Debonair and Lot 103 a filly by Vincent. Both sit on $26,000 at this stage. 

Buyers will recieve an invoice this afternoon and have five working days to settle their accounts.

NZB Airfreight and NZB Insurance offer very competitive rates, get in touch with the team to arrange your post-sale services.

Bidding tips

• Make sure you’re registered and your account is set up properly, well before the auction is set to close. 
• If you are bidding from the listing page or your shortlist and are outbid, you must type in the next bid amount. The site does not automatically update the next bid amount.
• Each auction will auto-extend by adding extra time on if a bid is placed in the final 30 seconds. This will happen indefinitely until no further bids are placed and will also add more time onto each of the subsequent Lots. Please note, there is no benefit in last second bidding as the site will only extend the auction for longer. Bidders are encouraged to get their bids on early.
• Use auto-bids to take the stress out of the final countdown and use the refresh button to make sure your page is keeping up with the live auction.
• gavelhouse.com cannot identify loss of online connection or browser issues at the user’s end. Even a slight loss of internet connection that may not be noticeable can interrupt the user’s browser in following the sale in real-time. Setting up an auto-bid is the best way to ensure your bids are placed.
• Google Chrome or Safari are the recommended internet browsers.
• gavelhouse.com staff are able assist in actively supporting both buyers and vendors during the sale, if you need a hand with registrations or bidding, we are available on phone +64 9 296 4436 or email info@gavelhouse.com to help.

New Zealand Bloodstock Standardbred bosses are seeing the last-day flurry they expected as New Zealand’s largest ever online sale comes into the home straight. 

NZB Standardbred’s All Age Sale finishes tomorrow on gavelhouse.com, the first time a major catalogue of standardbred horses has been sold on that platform in New Zealand.

Will gavelhouse.com has been active in in the standardbred market for over a year, the migrating of the entire All Age Sale catalogue with it’s very strong weanling component came about because of COVID-19 and has enormously boosted the registrations to the site, with 205 new potential buyers registered in the last week.

And there has been plenty of clicking in the last 24 hours as the Sale draws to it’s conclusion starting at 1pm tomorrow (Wednesday).

“The Sale starts the countdown to closing off at 1pm on Wednesday,” says NZB Director James Jennings.

“At 1pm the first lot starts its one-minute countdown to being sold but if anybody bids in the last 30 seconds that lot will auto extend for 30 more seconds.

“That is to stop somebody waiting until the last second to bid and other potential buyers not having the chance to counter bid.

“So once that lot is sold the next lot starts to countdown for its last minute and so on until the sale is complete.”
 

Jennings and his team have been thrilled with the response to the Sale, with 52 horses already having met their reserve.

“That is not only great for their vendors but also for the buyers because it shows that reserves have been realistic.”

Jennings says the Sale has been typical of Trade Me-style auctions when buyers know they have a week to bid.

“We saw a flurry of activity over the weekend when people have had more time to study the catalogue and bid.

“And we have been helping some of the newly registered buyers through that process.

“So the next 24 hours should be really exciting. But already we are thrilled the Sale has gone so well.”

One of the key attractions of the Sale is any weanling purchased will be eligible for the Harness Million series.

Pinhookers will also have the opportunity to re-enter their purchases for next February’s National Yearling Sale, at an unmoved entry fee of $950 plus GST for the Auckland Sale or $925 plus GST for the Christchurch Sale.

Entries for those sales open in June and will be made through the new NZB Standardbred portal which enables online entry, so no more paper forms.

View the catalogue on gavelhouse.com here. 

The first Lot closes at 1PM (NZT) on Wednesday 27 May with all weanlings purchased eligible for the Harness Million Series.

By Michael Guerin.

The early numbers are very encouraging for New Zealand’s largest ever online standardbred sale.

And NZB Standardbred representative Cam Bray says that it is not just from the early bids on the All Age Sale that is online now at gavelhouse.com.

The Sale which would usually be held at Karaka migrated online due to the COVID-19 restrictions and early bidding has been very strong.

“Really, really promising,” says Bray.

“Obviously it is a week-long sale so bidding runs until next Wednesday, which is when things start to get serious.

“But we already have horses with bids of $27,000, $17,500 $12,000 and quite a few in that $5,000 range.

“That is a great start considering we have so long to go.”
 

The Sale is predominantly of weanlings and the top bid today (Friday) stands at $27,000 for Lot 35, a Downbytheseaside weanling filly out of Revere Me, an unraced sister to Have Faith In Me and Adore Me, therefore a rare chance to buy a filly from perhaps Australasian harness racing’s hottest family of the last decade.

Lot 75 from the Alabar draft is the brother to Alta Maestro sitting at $17,500 and certain to fetch far closer to six figures by Wednesday’s bidding cut off.

Bray says while the strength of early bids is more than encouraging he is just as excited by the new registrations to the gavelhouse.com standardbred site.

“We had 131 new registrations in the week to last Monday and about two thirds of those were from Australia,” says Bray.

“That puts us well over 1000 registered potential buyers and of course they might come back for other sales. So this sale is already strong but with real benefits for future sellers on the site.”

Bray said there had been strong interest from potential pinhookers looking to buy stock at a time of uncertainty and re-offer them at the yearling sales next February.

“I think there has actually been more pinhooking interest on gavelhouse.com than there would have been had it been under the usual sales format.”

View the catalogue on gavelhouse.com here. 

The first Lot closes at 1PM (NZT) on Wednesday 27 May with all weanlings purchased eligible for the Harness Million Series. 

-By Michael Guerin

Bidding is now avaliable for NZB Standardbred’s largest breeding stock sale, the 2020 All Age Sale on gavelhouse.com.

Lot 35 (Downbytheseaside x Revere Me)
Featuring 148-catalogued lots, bidding will remain open for registered buyers until Wednesday 27 May, with the first Lot closing at 1pm (NZT). To register click here.

Buyers have the opportunity to invest in a wide range of bloodstock with proven bloodlines and residual value, including siblings to Group One winners and progeny from Group One-winning dams.

Adding further appeal, all weanlings offered at the All Age Sale are eligible to be nominated for the NZB Standardbred Harness Million Race Series.

For more information, contact Cam Bray (Cam.Bray@nzb.co.nz or call +63 21 737 199) or Haylie Martin (Haylie@gavelhouse.com or call +64 22 637 8127).

For an overview of the All Age Sale from NZB Director and Operations Manager James Jennings click here.

When it comes to buying weanlings, for respected sales veterinarian Ivan Bridge it is all in the legs.

For the first time in New Zealand standardbred sales history, the entire All Age Sale run by New Zealand Bloodstock Standardbred goes online today on their gavelhouse.com platform, basically a Trade Me for potentially elite future racehorses.

The All Age Sale is usually held at Karaka but with the COVID-19 restrictions it has migrated online and the star attractions will be the weanlings, with huge drafts from both Alabar and Woodlands Stud.

While the Sale has already produced horses like millionaire Hard Copy, dual Derby winner Line Up and Southland superstar U May Cullect, it is even more attractive this year as the weanlings sold are eligible for the Harness Million series and can be pinhooked not only for yearling sales here but in Australia.

Inspection days at Alabar and three separate Woodlands properties on Tuesday saw plenty of trainers casting their eyes over the youngsters, some with the phones out Facetiming potential buyers from the South Island or Australia.

There is no doubt weanlings look greatly different from yearlings, mere babies as compared to teenagers.

So what does an expert look for when buying a weanling as opposed to the more finished product of a yearling?

“The legs are crucial,” says Bridge, the popular South Auckland vet used by so many sales buyers.

“You want their legs to be good, well conformed because that is something that may not change as much as they develop as something like them growing taller or filling out.

“You want the legs correct, or as much as they can be, not too turned out or facing in.

“Whereas their physical maturity isn’t as important because some horses develop at different rates. So that is what I have been looking at mostly this week, the legs.”

Bidding opens on gavelhouse.com at 5pm (NZT) on Wednesday and NZB’s James Jennings says the first step for potential buyers is to register.

“Gavelhouse is really easy to use and the vendors have done a great job with their videos and photos of the horses,” says Jennings.

“You can view the whole catalogue on the site at any time but it cost nothing to register. Once people have done they can bid or not bid but it gives them a chance to potentially snare a real bargain.

“And of course we will be using gavelhouse.com in its regular format for sales of broodmares, young horses and going horses all the time going forward.

“So my advice to people would be register, go have a look at the site and enjoy it and if those people can use it to find a horse they want, then even better.

“But is really is a tool for the whole industry, buyers and sellers.”


The NZB Standardbred All Age Sale runs for a week, with the countdown to final bids starting next Wednesday 27 May from 1pm (NZT). View the catalogue and register to bid online here.

– By Michael Guerin

New Zealand’s largest breeding stock sale of standardbreds featuring weanlings, yearlings, racehorses and broodmares is now live with bidding starting from 5pm tonight on gavelhouse.com.

The 2020 All Age Sale catalogue was initially available on the NZB Standardbred site to allow prospective buyers to conduct early research, with the 148-lot offering nowtransferred to the gavelhouse.com platform.

Bidding on gavelhouse.com will be available from Wednesday 20 May, with the first Lot closing on Wednesday 27 May at an earlier start time of 1pm (NZT).

While government Alert Levels previously imposed restrictions around the ability toinspect horses in-person, consignors have supplied extensive photos and video footage to give prospective buyers the best possible information about each lot on offer.

All weanlings offered are eligible to be nominated for the $1million NZB Standardbred Harness Million Race Series.

Read now – Equipped All Age Sale

View full catalogue – https://standardbred.gavelhouse.com/

Under safe practice of hygiene and protocol measures, NZB Standardbred can confirm that bloodstock agents and industry licenced professionals are now permitted to enter studs and agistment farms to inspect 2020 All Age Sale stock at Level 3.

At Level 3 the approved recommendation is that bloodstock inspections are by appointment only and can only be conducted by a registered bloodstock agent or HRNZ licensed professional, specific to their area.

Prior to arrival, the agents and licensed professionals must arrange a date and time that is suitable to all parties.  They must provide their address and contact details, as well as a clear and detailed inspection list in advance of arrival.

Studs or agistment properties reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to grant or refuse access for inspections.  Under no circumstances is access to be sort without prior approval.

On arrival at the stud or agistment property, bloodstock agents, licensed professionals and contracted staff are required to maintain strict standards of personal hygiene, follow government social distancing advice and provide details for contact tracing.

NZB Standardbred encourage persons to carry some form of identification to show who they are, who they work for, and their role to support the authenticity of their travel e.g. a business card or letter from their employer or work ID.

Guidelines provided by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for all businesses can be found here, and further information on COVID-19 for businesses can be found here.

WorkSafe have also released guidelines on safe practice in the workplace, which you can find here.

An agent must not enter any property if they have cold or flu symptoms, including coughing, sneezing, runny nose, headache, aches or fever, or if they know or suspect that they have been in contact with a person suspected or confirmed as contracting COVID-19, or if they or a close contact has returned to New Zealand from overseas within the previous 14 days.

A list of licensed trainers is available on the HRNZ website under Infohorse > Trainer/Driver Enquiry.

While previous government Alert Levels have imposed restrictions around the ability to inspect horses in-person, consignors have supplied extensive photos and video footage to give prospective buyers the best possible information about each lot on offer, if location prevents buyers from physical inspections.

View all media and pedigree information of all 2020 All Age Sale offerings on the gavelhouse.com Standardbred website here.

Adding further appeal to the bloodstock that will be on offer, all weanlings offered at the All Age Sale to be held on gavelhouse.com, are eligible to be nominated for the NZB Standardbred Harness Million Sales Race Series.

Create a gavelhouse.com account to ensure you are registered for bidding here.

For more information, contact Cam Bray (Cam.Bray@nzb.co.nz or call +64 21 737 199) or Haylie Martin (Haylie@gavelhouse.com or call +64 22 637 8127).

Alabar General Manager Graeme Henley says the upcoming All Age Sale on gavelhouse.com is more than just a sale.

Because he believes it will be an important barometer for where the industry’s confidence stands coming out of the COVID-19 crisis.

The All Age Sale conducted by New Zealand Bloodstock Standardbred contains a smattering of broodmares, yearlings and even the odd racehorse but it is predominantly about the weanlings, with huge offerings from Alabar and Woodlands.

And because of COVID-19 restrictions around travel and the size of gatherings, the Sale will be not only online, but over a week starting May 20 on the gavelhouse.com platform.

Online sales are proving incredibly successful in the thoroughbred world and Henley, who was the first vendor to majorly support the All Age Sale with big numbers, says the move to online for this month’s sale is both logical and could prove a success.

“We would prefer a normal sale but NZB Standardbred have been great to deal with getting this online and there will be positives to that,” says the general manager of Alabar.

“It means the Australians can be just as involved as the locals and I think that market will be boosted by the fact they have a new sales company over there so buyers can purchase weanlings here as pinhook prospects and on-sell them as yearlings over there.”

For that reason and also because the sale comes as hopefully both countries start to move out of the COVID-19 crisis, Henley sees it as a crucial barometer on where the industry is heading.

“Those markets, like pinhooking and buyers looking to pay higher end money for weanlings, will tell us a fair bit about where things are heading and how people see the near future in harness racing.”

Alabar has always been a big supporter of this Sale and Henley says the reasons are simple.

“It is because of the way our business is set up. We have had up to eight stallions on the farm here before and some breeding seasons we will serve 2,500 mares.

“That is a lot of work, even the work around the semen transportation is a lot and we simply don’t have the time or space to be preparing a lot of yearlings for the sales as the two things overlap.

“For that reason we supported this Sale very early and now Woodlands have come on board with big numbers and I think it is a really important day for the industry.”

Horses like U May Cullect have been sold by Alabar at the sale while last year they had a Kadabra weanling sell for $80,000 and a brother to Alta Maestro for $75,000.

Another brother to the latter will be one of the highlights of their 57-strong draft this month.

“We also have a sister to Star Galleria, who would be valuable for that reason alone but she is only the second filly from that dam Starlitnight and the other filly, Star Of Venus, has left Self Assured.

“So a filly like her has value to keep, pinhook or even as a broodmare because that is a really fast, current family and you just can’t buy fillies from that family.”

The stock of Alabar’s superstar Art Major are naturals for any young horse sale as he produces such athletic horses and Henley is also excited about the stock of world record holder Always B Miki and of course local hero Vincent, who has eight weanlings in their draft.

“Vincent is as good a looking horse as you would see and that comes through in the weanlings. Even the fillies look strong with good shoulders, so we think they will be popular.”

Henley says next week looms as an important day for sale with trainers and agents set to visit the South Auckland farm for inspections on Tuesday week.

“I think that is crucial,” says Henley.

“I have had a lot of people ring me and ask me about certain weanlings, which has been a good sign.

“But we expect to have trainers and agents here next week and if people can’t be here if they ring their mates who can be, with many of the top trainers going to be here, then at least they can give them an unbiased opinion.

“So that is going to be a real asset, especially for the Australians.”

Of course Alabar aren’t just relying on that, with Henley himself manning the camera for the eight individual pictures and then videos needed of all 57 weanlings for sale.

“That made an interesting experience,” he laughs.

“Trying to get 57 weanlings to do what you want when you want is a bit of a mission and I reckon it was the first time I had ever used the video function on my camera.

“But we got there, it helped we had 10 days of fine weather otherwise it would have been impossible.
What also helped with the guidance of a celebrity Nanny, former champion racehorse and Alabar stallion Elsu.

“We gelded him a couple of years ago when he was no longer commercial because if we hadn’t, he would’ve had to spend the rest of his life alone.

“So he buddies up with the odd mare these days but we actually put the weanlings in a paddock with him, in bunches of 5 or 6, for the first week when the foals come off the mares.

“He keeps them calm, shows them how to behave and loves it because he gets fed well and has some company, so we call him our celebrity Nanny.”

So as for the Sale, what can buyers expect?

“We are being very realistic about our reserves but it won’t be a fire sale because it doesn’t need to be and I can tell that by the interest we have had already.

“But the most important thing is for people to register with gavelhouse.com and then they can choose to buy or not.”

–    By Michael Guerin

Background
I’ve been horse mad as long as I can remember. If I didn’t have my own horse like when I moved out of home, I would find a way to ride one whether it be for work or a friends’ horse. At school I lived in the Art room, I studied Design at University and then moved to Newmarket, England for two years once I graduated. I split my time there and did a year on both Luca Cumani and Sir Michael Stoute’s yard, on my return to New Zealand it was a no brainer to combine my two passions.

What is your role with gavelhouse.com?
My role at gavelhouse.com is a Sales and Marketing Assistant, working to support gavelhouse.com General Manager Haylie Martin.

What are the day-to-day tasks involved within your role?
My role is quite diverse, as well as assisting buyers and sellers with the smooth running of the auction process before, during and after each sale. I also help Haylie with gavelhouse.com marketing campaigns, as well as being able to leave the office to photograph horses, meet clients and go to the trials and races occasionally.

What have you found most rewarding about your role at gavelhouse.com?
I get a real kick out of seeing independent owner/trainers winning races with a horse they have purchased off gavelhouse.com, as well as the great pinhook stories that come out of the yearling and RTR sales.

What is your level of involvement with the racing industry, in particular standardbreds?
I dabble in both sides of the spectrum, I ride work for Stephen Marsh which is a great way to keep up with the thoroughbred’s (and keep my waist line in check). For extra pocket money when I was at University, I worked yearling preparations at Breckon Farms and have also helped out Woodlands Stud at the sales the last couple of years. When we started selling standardbreds on gavelhouse.com I was excited to introduce our online sales platform to these farms.

Why do you think people should purchase their standardbreds from the gavelhouse.com All Age Sale?
With our parent company New Zealand Bloodstock, gavelhouse.com provides a quick, user friendly platform for buyers and sellers whilst also offering services such as Insurance and Airfreight. It also presents an opportunity for small owner/trainers and newcomers to the industry to get a foot in the door.

What are you most looking forward to in the future?
Getting an Ice Cream from Duck Island, oh and going on an overseas adventure once the airlines open!

Laura Petersen   |   gavelhouse.com Sales & Marketing
Ph +64 274 197 471
Email laura@gavelhouse.com