News

GREAT SOUTHERN SALE SOURCE OF MAJOR PINHOOK SUCCESS

27th Jan 2008

Melbourne’s Great Southern sale proved yet again what a great hunting ground it is for pinhookers when an Australian-bred Flying Spur colt that sold for $240,000 last June made $850,000 at the opening session of the New Zealand Bloodstock’s Premier Yearling Sale at Karaka on Monday.

The colt was consigned by Bruce and Maureen Harvey of Ascot Farm and was eventually knocked down to Shadwell Australasia, so it seems likely that he will return to Australia for his racetrack career. Bred in Victoria by Trevor Gluck's Tremon Thoroughbreds, the colt was the highest-priced weanling at the Great Southern sale in 2007 and is a three-quarter brother-in-blood to the dual Melbourne Listed winning filly Creative Plan and is the second foal of Chicago Wonder, a half-sister to Hong Kong Group One winner Jeune King Prawn, a son of Danehill, the sire of course of Flying Spur.

“We are particularly delighted for the Harvey’s to have had such a result,” said Inglis Director and auctioneer Peter Heagney, who explained that the figure was all the more gratifying following the work that had gone into the sale last year. “We made an effort to get better quality weanlings into the sale and we were supported by Victorian breeders with the result that the weanling sale was up 42%," Heagney explained. "Then we targeted New Zealand and Asian buyers to attend the sale so the good result for Tremon last year has proved a good result for Ascot Farm some seven months later.”

This year’s Great Southern Sale will be the first opportunity for pinhookers and investors to buy weanlings in 2008 with two days trade on May 15 and 16. “We proved last year that the quality is there at all levels of investment and we are striving to improve the standard of weanlings for the sale this year. With results like this it proves that Melbourne is a great place to sell a weanling.” Heagney added.