Sven and Carina Hanson at Karaka
Darryl Sherer
The momentum generated from a successful debut at the recent Gold Coast sales has continued unabated for impressive freshman sire Reliable Man at this year's New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales at Karaka.
The winner of Group One races in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres is based at Gerry Harvey's Westbury Stud for his southern hemisphere stallion duties and has impressed plenty of good judges with the way that he has stamped his first crop of yearlings to hit local sale rings.
Three individuals were sold at the Gold Coast at an average just under $157,000 with that figure eclipsed by his results over the first two days at Karaka. The son of Dalakhani sold 13 of the 15 lots consigned to the Premier session of the sale at an aggregate $2.185 million and an average just a tick over $168,000. Lot 174, a colt from Zabeel mare Animate fetched his highest price when Australian agent James Bester outlaid $340,000 for the flashy grey from The Oaks Stud draft.
Westbury General Manager Russell Warwick is naturally delighted with the results to date particularly given the Stud based their entire marketing campaign around the stallion in 2016.
"We took a punt with our strategy this year as we really wanted to give him the best possible chance during the sale season," he said.
"The talk amongst breeders who had supported him in his first season was very positive with many reporting they had some stunning individuals. That is not always a guarantee of success as the proof is when the buying bench gets involved but with what we have achieved so far I believe we have made an extremely good start with him."
Warwick also paid tribute to those breeders who had supported the stallion from the outset.
"I'm delighted for The Oaks as they took a share in Reliable Man for his southern hemisphere activities to help get him underway so for them to get a result like they did is fantastic," he said.
"What is also very pleasing is to see that his numbers over the first two days of the sale are not as a result of just one or two large sales but a good base across the lots on offer. We had five sell for in excess of $200,000 and that momentum has continued in the Select sale with two lots already sold for $100,000 a piece.
"Looking at the spread of buyers to date it shows they have gone to a number of good homes both here and Australia which is what we were looking to achieve."
Reliable Man's Swedish owners, Sven and Carina Hanson, are in New Zealand to take in the Yearling Sale activity and have been suitably impressed by what they have witnessed.
"The yearlings here are ahead of the foals in Europe so we wanted to see them. We saw them as foals and wanted to see how they have developed and we are very pleased with what we have seen," Sven Hanson said.
"The sun makes a difference to their development and being outside so that would be the main difference. In Europe they are probably prepared more for a sale but here is more natural.
"The sales process seems to be more transparent and the people are more friendly. The atmosphere is so much better."
The Hanson's have kept two mares in New Zealand to breed to Reliable Man while they continue to enjoy racing success across the Tasman. Along with Reliable Man they have also enjoyed stakes success with He's Your Man and Always Aloof. They currently have two horses in training with Chris Waller; Now's The Time, a son of their Gr. 1 winner Pride, and Defrost My Heart, an Irish-bred daughter of Fastnet Rock. – NZ Racing Desk
The winner of Group One races in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres is based at Gerry Harvey's Westbury Stud for his southern hemisphere stallion duties and has impressed plenty of good judges with the way that he has stamped his first crop of yearlings to hit local sale rings.
Three individuals were sold at the Gold Coast at an average just under $157,000 with that figure eclipsed by his results over the first two days at Karaka. The son of Dalakhani sold 13 of the 15 lots consigned to the Premier session of the sale at an aggregate $2.185 million and an average just a tick over $168,000. Lot 174, a colt from Zabeel mare Animate fetched his highest price when Australian agent James Bester outlaid $340,000 for the flashy grey from The Oaks Stud draft.
Westbury General Manager Russell Warwick is naturally delighted with the results to date particularly given the Stud based their entire marketing campaign around the stallion in 2016.
"We took a punt with our strategy this year as we really wanted to give him the best possible chance during the sale season," he said.
"The talk amongst breeders who had supported him in his first season was very positive with many reporting they had some stunning individuals. That is not always a guarantee of success as the proof is when the buying bench gets involved but with what we have achieved so far I believe we have made an extremely good start with him."
Warwick also paid tribute to those breeders who had supported the stallion from the outset.
"I'm delighted for The Oaks as they took a share in Reliable Man for his southern hemisphere activities to help get him underway so for them to get a result like they did is fantastic," he said.
"What is also very pleasing is to see that his numbers over the first two days of the sale are not as a result of just one or two large sales but a good base across the lots on offer. We had five sell for in excess of $200,000 and that momentum has continued in the Select sale with two lots already sold for $100,000 a piece.
"Looking at the spread of buyers to date it shows they have gone to a number of good homes both here and Australia which is what we were looking to achieve."
Reliable Man's Swedish owners, Sven and Carina Hanson, are in New Zealand to take in the Yearling Sale activity and have been suitably impressed by what they have witnessed.
"The yearlings here are ahead of the foals in Europe so we wanted to see them. We saw them as foals and wanted to see how they have developed and we are very pleased with what we have seen," Sven Hanson said.
"The sun makes a difference to their development and being outside so that would be the main difference. In Europe they are probably prepared more for a sale but here is more natural.
"The sales process seems to be more transparent and the people are more friendly. The atmosphere is so much better."
The Hanson's have kept two mares in New Zealand to breed to Reliable Man while they continue to enjoy racing success across the Tasman. Along with Reliable Man they have also enjoyed stakes success with He's Your Man and Always Aloof. They currently have two horses in training with Chris Waller; Now's The Time, a son of their Gr. 1 winner Pride, and Defrost My Heart, an Irish-bred daughter of Fastnet Rock. – NZ Racing Desk