Unlike the Australasian Classic Yearling Sale at Karaka yesterday, the New Zealand Premier Yearling Sale at Christchurch today lacked a vital ingredient and that was a strong middle market.
There was a good buyers bench for stock in the $50,000 plus market but the $15,000 to $50,000 section of the market was a lot harder to read with wild fluctuations between lots of similar breeding and type.
The top end end was consistent and it was no surprise to see Lot 244 bring up the second six figure purchase of the day.
A colt by the outstanding trotting stallion Angus Hall named Hands Are A Gift, he is the first colt from the former brilliant trotting racemare Jasmyn's Gift (17 wins) ($192,436).
The first foal is the four year old daughter of The Pres named Le Lievre's Gift 1:57.6 who is two from two to date which obviously helped today's sale.
Hands Are A Gift paraded like an old timer and nothing seemed to phase him in his long spell in the ring which is another plus going forward.
Straight out of the ring Hands Are A Gift stopped and posed for the cameras and stood there as quiet as a lamb while the pictures were taken.
One gets the feeling he may be doing that a lot in his career.
The next lot to break the $100,000 mark was also not entirely unexpected.
Lot 260 was a daughter of the leading sire Bettor's Delight and the brilliant age group performer in Lancome 1:54.9 ($461,278) named Le Lancome and was just a stand out individual in the flesh.
When we published a story about Le Lancome last week on Harnesslink we had three phone calls from North America enquiring about her such was the impression the photos had made.
The Australasian buyers were just as enthusiastic about her and although she eventually made $105,000, the time in the ring was quite brief.
Local interest won out in the end with Alan Neumann from Mid-Canterbury taking her home which is great for the harness racing industry in the South Island.
Apart from these two lots, there was a lot of below par results spread between those high priced sales and a lot of vendors would be hurting tonight.
Harnesslink Media