The first day of New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2021 Ready to Run Sale Breeze Ups launched smoothly at Te Rapa Racecourse, with 135 expertly prepared two-year-olds breezing down the home straight.
Operating under strict Alert Level 3 conditions, the 2021 edition took place under exceptional circumstances with limited authorised industry personnel allowed on course.
Among those was astute judge and bloodstock agent Chris Rutten, who commented on the first day of the Breeze Ups.
“There are some really nice horses here by some excellent stallions,” Rutten said.
“There are some real standouts. Just looking at the balance and the way they move, they are well presented.
“They are calm and are handling the situation well, it gives you an idea of what the horse is going to be like. It is an entrée here to see how they will go.
“I am happy with what I have seen so far, I think there will be plenty of interest,” he said.
NZB International Bloodstock Sales Manager John Cameron, who has spent many decades evaluating juveniles, said “it’s great to see the two-year-olds in action. You can watch them gallop and see how well they are prepared.”
“I’ve got to say, the horses have breezed up beautifully today.
“They have run straight and true, their action has been great and they have breezed up very consistently, which is the overall picture you want to get.
“It’s not necessarily the fastest time on the day, it’s more about the manner in which they do their work, their action and how they perform,” he said.
Day One Highlights
- This morning’s track conditions were recorded at a Dead 6, and weather was overcast which remained consistent throughout the day.
- The fastest Breeze Up of the day was Lot 98, who ran in Heat 38 from Ohukia Lodge’s draft. The colt by Astern out of Alamosa mare Dragon Robe (NZ) breezed in a slick time of 10.45 on the Dead 6 track. Also in Heat 38 was Lot 72, a Tivaci gelding out of Cheex (NZ) who breezed in at 10.58.
- Riversley Park prepared Heat 17, with Lot 139 a Per Incanto (ex Great Expectations) gelding clocking 10.48, while Lot 171, a Super One colt out of Fastnet Rock mare La Femme Fatale ran 10.52.
- Lot 103 breezed home in 10.55, the Capitalist colt out of Irish-bred mare Emirates Comfort was prepared by Kilgravin Lodge.
NZB is again offering extended Breeze Up clips, including additional footage near the 600 metre mark to capture horses before they fully extend into their gallop. As per usual, horses will also have the last 200 metres of their work individually timed.
Providing even more information for buyers, NZB will also be filming the mounting yard at Te Rapa, with all two-year-olds being paraded prior to their Breeze Up.
The full Breeze Ups clips and parade footage will be made available for viewing on NZB’s website by Friday 15 October, as well as streamed on Trackside in New Zealand, plus Sky Racing and Racing.com in Australia.
View today’s Breeze Up times here.
View the interviews and highlights from Day One here.
