NZB Ready To Run Sale graduate Gold Patch (NZ) (Ardrossan) provided a milestone moment at Sha Tin on Sunday, handing champion jockey Zac Purton his 100th winner of the season with a determined performance in the Class 3 Handicap (1200m) for trainer Francis Lui. The progressive gelding also shined a light on talented horse preparers and NZB vendors Lilywhites Lodge.
Reflecting on Gold Patch’s win, Lilywhite Lodge’s principal Sophia Nolan was encouraged that her initial judgement of the rising talent was accurate.
“He’s a horse that stood out to me from the first day I saw him at the on-farm yearling inspections.”
“He had a real presence about him, and such a powerful walk through his hindquarters.”
Unable to forget about the colt, Sophia and her partner Derek Nolan outlaid $155,000 for him as a yearling at Karaka 2024 from Landsdowne Park. They returned him to the market in their 2024 NZB Ready to Run draft where he was purchased for $250,000 by owner Kin Man Yeung.
“He was quite a cool costumer throughout his preparation, and although he was quite big and raw, he had just the most beautiful action, and we knew he would just keep improving.”
Heading into the 2026 Ready to Run Sale, Derek and Sophia are looking forward to preparing another strong draft.
“We’ve been having a good run of winners in Hong Kong over the last year or so now, and it’s always exciting having graduates just like Gold Patch highlighting the work we do here as a team.”
“We are very happy with the way things are tracking for this year, and we look forward to presenting a strong draft that will suit the Hong Kong market in November.”
The number one sale of its kind in the world, NZB's Ready to Run Sale graduates have claimed 34 Group Ones and 105 stakes wins in the last five seasons alone.
Boasting an honour roll featuring Hong Kong champions like Invincible Ibis, Golden Sixty, Lucky Sweynesse, and Beat the Clock, no other horses-in-training sale comes close.
The 2026 edition of the Sale will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre on Wednesday 18 & Thursday 19 November.
