Monumental results were witnessed across two days of selling at NZB’S 2025 Ready to Run Sale, confirming the demand for proven racetrack results and quality New Zealand-prepared horses.
All key sale indicators increased at the close of selling, with the aggregate reaching a record $41,407,500, a record median of $100,000 and record average of $156,255 achieved.
“It’s quite remarkable, another record-breaking sale,” commented NZB’s Bloodstock Sales Manager Kane Jones.
“The whole team have put in a massive shift, not just over the last few days, but months out, and even years building relationships for this Sale. I’m very proud of the entire team.
“Just a magical number hitting that $41m in turnover, but the average is up, median is up as well which indicates that middle market was particularly strong.
“This Sale has gone from strength-to-strength in the last five years. The horses breezed phenomenally, and the type of horses that are brought to this Sale improves year on year.
“It’s just a credit to the vendors who continue to support this Sale and make it what it is,” added Jones.
Prepared and offered by KB Bloodstock, Lot 374 achieved the top price for the Sale, a colt by Zoustar, who was purchased by leading buyer Mr Yeung Kin Man for $825,000.
“Mr Yeung enjoys this Sale very much, because the first year we got two winners, and they have won nine races, which was a great result,” commented bloodstock agent Willie Leung.
“He was looking for another Zoustar. This one looks big and strong and is an early type, so it’s likely we will bring him to Hong Kong earlier.”
The sale-topping colt was one of 16 purchases for Hong Kong’s Mr Yeung.
“Last year we bought more and we already are about to bring 10 new horses to Hong Kong. He wanted to stock up a little bit more and then pick the quality ones to go to Hong Kong for racing,” added Leung.
The second top-lot of the day was Lot 371, a Written Tycoon colt from the draft of Prima Park. Purchased by upcoming Hong Kong trainer James Cummings for $775,000, he closed out the Sale as the second leading buyer behind Mr Yeung, securing three lots in total.
For the ninth consecutive year, Riversley Park were leading vendor, selling 33 lots for $6,525,000. Their highlight being a colt by Satono Aladdin (Lot 105) who sold for $675,000 during the opening session to Mr Sanxiong Gao.
“It’s a great thing they’ve got going on there with the mainland Chinese racing horses in Hong Kong. They’re sourcing them here and racing them there, because obviously the money in Hong Kong is unbelievable,” commented Riversley Park’s Sam Beatson.
“We did have our ups and downs, but the ones we were passing in were getting sold out of the ring, so our clearance rate is about ninety percent and I’m pretty sure we’ll get a couple more done.”
The leading vendor by average was Landsdowne Park, selling four lots for an average of $277,500, while the leading sire by average was the sale-topping Zoustar, reaching an average of $431,667 for three lots sold.
To make enquiries about Passed Lots contact Patrick Cunningham on +64 21 181 5898 or email Patrick.Cunningham@nzb.co.nz, or Andrew Buick on +64 27 555 0640 or email Andrew.Buick@nzb.co.nz.
Catch all the Ready to Run Sale highlights and lot-by-lot footage on NZB’s Sale TV channel here. Read all the sale reviews and latest news here.
Next on the sales calendar is the much anticipated 100th National Yearling Sale, kicking off with the TAB Karaka Millions Raceday at Ellerslie on Saturday 24 January, Book 1 at Karaka on 25 & 26 January, Book 2 on 27 January and the Karaka Summer Sale on 29 January.
A century of thoroughbred excellence has shaped the National Yearling Sale, from guineas to dollars, Trentham to Karaka and Wrightsons to NZB.
It is the beating heart of trade within the New Zealand breeding and racing industry, where breeder meets buyer, where years of careful planning and preparation meets astute judgement and ambition. It is where winning begins.
From this centenary of sales ring moments have emerged many legends of the racetrack, among them the titans Phar Lap, Rising Fast, Tulloch, Dulcify, Octagonal and So You Think.
The catalogue for Karaka 2026 will be online from next week and in mailboxes soon.
2025 Ready to Run Sale Statistics (as at end of selling)
| 2025 Ready to Run Sale | 2024 Ready to Run Sale | 2023 Ready to Run Sale | 2022 Ready to Run Sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate | $41,407,500 | $38,593,500 | $35,107,000 | $25,186,000 |
| Average | $156,255 | $151,943 | $156,031 | $129,159 |
| Median | $100,000 | $90,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 |
| Clearance | 75% | 78% | 73% | 76% |
| Catalogued | 480 | 404 | 383 | 329 |
| Offered | 353 | 324 | 308 | 257 |
| Sold | 265 | 254 | 225 | 195 |
| Top Lot | Lot 374 $825,000 Zoustar - Hijack Hussy (B.C) | Lot 174 $1,650,000 I Am Invincible - Shillelagh (Br.C) | Lot 376 $825,000 Star Turn - Commonwealth (B.C) | Lot 258 $625,000 Capitalist - Sebrina (Ch.C) |
2025 Ready to Run Sale – Top Lots Day Two
| Lot | Sire | Dam | Sex | Vendor | Purchaser | Price |
| 374 | Zoustar | Hijack Hussy | Colt | KB Bloodstock | Mr KM Yeung (Hong Kong) | $825,000 |
| 371 | Written Tycoon | Hersigh | Colt | Prima Park | James Cummings (Hong Kong) | $775,000 |
| 283 | Hello Youmzain | Cool Tart | Colt | BMD Bloodstock | Mr Hongwei Chen (China) | $700,000 |
| 398 | Per Incanto | Joan's a Jett | Colt | Trelawney Stud Ltd | Shijiazhuang Hongtao Horse Breeding (China) | $700,000 |
| 285 | Armory | Cora Lynn | Colt | Ohukia Lodge | Cameron Cooke / Busuttin Racing (Victoria) | $625,000 |
| 335 | Ghaiyyath | Final Choice | Gelding | Landsdowne Park Ltd | Ms B Yim (Hong Kong) | $480,000 |
| 478 | The Autumn Sun | Mummentum | Gelding | Riversley Park Ltd | Mr WK Yip (Hong Kong) | $425,000 |
| 310 | Sword of State | Duraaj | Colt | Kiltannon Stables Ltd | Mr Tien Kay Chan (Hong Kong) | $420,000 |
| 365 | Ghaiyyath | Hampton Classic | Colt | Ohukia Lodge | Mark Newnham Bloodstock Pty Ltd (Hong Kong) | $420,000 |
| 369 | I Am Invincible | Haraka | Filly | Prima Park | Bjorn Baker Racing / Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) / Ridgmont (New South Wales) | $360,000 |
2025 Ready to Run Sale – Top Lots Combined
| Lot | Sire | Dam | Sex | Vendor | Purchaser | Price |
| 374 | Zoustar | Hijack Hussy | Colt | KB Bloodstock | Mr KM Yeung (Hong Kong) | $825,000 |
| 371 | Written Tycoon | Hersigh | Colt | Prima Park | James Cummings (Hong Kong) | $775,000 |
| 214 | Per Incanto | Aleria | Colt | Kiltannon Stables Ltd | Mr Sanxiong Gao (China) | $750,000 |
| 283 | Hello Youmzain | Cool Tart | Colt | BMD Bloodstock | Mr Hongwei Chen (China) | $700,000 |
| 398 | Per Incanto | Joan's a Jett | Colt | Trelawney Stud Ltd | Shijiazhuang Hongtao Horse Breeding (China) | $700,000 |
| 105 | Satono Aladdin | Shezdelicious | Colt | Riversley Park Ltd | Mr Sanxiong Gao (China) | $675,000 |
| 285 | Armory | Cora Lynn | Colt | Ohukia Lodge | Cameron Cooke / Busuttin Racing (Victoria) | $625,000 |
| 84 | Snitzel | Samovare | Colt | KB Bloodstock | Patella Bloodstock Ltd (Waikato) | $525,000 |
| 9 | Sword of State | O'Carol | Colt | Riverrock Farm | Laming Bloodstock Pty Ltd (Victoria) | $500,000 |
| 138 | Ole Kirk | Statuesquely | Colt | Ohukia Lodge | David Ellis CNZM (BAFNZ) (Te Akau) | $480,000 |
| 335 | Ghaiyyath | Final Choice | Gelding | Landsdowne Park Ltd | Ms B Yim (Hong Kong) | $480,000 |
2025 Ready to Run Sale – Leading Purchasers by Aggregate
| Purchaser | Aggregate | Bought | Top Price | Top Lot |
| Mr KM Yeung (Hong Kong) | $ 3,570,000 | 16 | $ 825,000 | 374 |
| James Cummings (Hong Kong) | $ 1,430,000 | 3 | $ 775,000 | 371 |
| Mr Sanxiong Gao (China) | $ 1,425,000 | 2 | $ 750,000 | 214 |
| Mark Newnham Bloodstock Pty Ltd (Hong Kong) | $ 1,105,000 | 4 | $ 420,000 | 365 |
| Mr Hongwei Chen (China) | $ 970,000 | 2 | $ 700,000 | 283 |
| Patella Bloodstock Ltd (Waikato) | $ 965,000 | 3 | $ 525,000 | 84 |
| R Yiu (Hong Kong) | $ 915,000 | 3 | $ 375,000 | 191 |
| Mr Ryan Fownes (Hong Kong) | $ 830,000 | 3 | $ 330,000 | 387 |
| Magus Equine (Hong Kong) | $ 810,000 | 3 | $ 400,000 | 129 |
| Shijiazhuang Hongtao Horse Breeding (China) | $ 700,000 | 1 | $ 700,000 | 398 |
2025 Ready to Run Sale – Leading Vendors by Aggregate
| Vendor | Lots Sold | Aggregate | Top Price | Top Lot |
| Riversley Park | 34 | $ 6,525,000 | $675,000 | 105 |
| Prima Park | 18 | $ 3,660,000 | $775,000 | 371 |
| Ohukia Lodge | 16 | $ 3,567,500 | $625,000 | 285 |
| KB Bloodstock | 13 | $ 3,460,000 | $825,000 | 374 |
| Kiltannon Stables | 18 | $ 3,220,000 | $750,000 | 214 |
| BMD Bloodstock | 15 | $ 2,845,000 | $700,000 | 283 |
| Kilgravin Lodge | 22 | $ 2,660,000 | $260,000 | 380 |
| Riverrock Farm | 10 | $ 1,830,000 | $500,000 | 9 |
| Westbury Stud | 21 | $ 1,372,500 | $280,000 | 126 |
| St Kilda Lodge | 7 | $ 1,200,000 | $300,000 | 355 |
2025 Ready to Run Sale – Leading Vendors by Average (three or more sold)
| Vendor | Lots Sold | Average | Top Price | Top Lot |
| Landsdowne Park | 4 | $277,500 | $480,000 | 335 |
| KB Bloodstock | 13 | $266,154 | $825,000 | 374 |
| Trelawney Stud | 4 | $232,500 | $700,000 | 398 |
| Ohukia Lodge | 16 | $222,969 | $625,000 | 285 |
| Prima Park | 18 | $203,333 | $775,000 | 371 |
| Riversley Park | 34 | $191,912 | $675,000 | 105 |
| BMD Bloodstock | 15 | $189,667 | $700,000 | 283 |
| Riverrock Farm | 10 | $183,000 | $500,000 | 9 |
| Kiltannon Stables | 18 | $178,889 | $750,000 | 214 |
| St Kilda Lodge | 7 | $171,429 | $300,000 | 355 |
2025 Ready to Run Sale – Leading Sires by Average (three or more sold)
| Sire | Lots Sold | Average | Top Price | Top Lot |
| Zoustar | 3 | $431,667 | $825,000 | 374 |
| Wootton Bassett | 3 | $373,333 | $420,000 | 70 |
| Per Incanto | 6 | $338,333 | $750,000 | 214 |
| Snitzel | 3 | $321,667 | $525,000 | 84 |
| Harry Angel | 3 | $286,667 | $425,000 | 12 |
| Hello Youmzain | 4 | $267,500 | $700,000 | 283 |
| Sword of State | 5 | $256,000 | $500,000 | 9 |
| Tassort | 4 | $237,500 | $300,000 | 298 |
| Home Affairs | 3 | $235,000 | $330,000 | 387 |
| Cosmic Force | 3 | $203,333 | $340,000 | 322 |
