We are currently calling for entries for the National Yearling Sales in what is a far from usual season so it is timely that Justine has given me the opportunity to include a piece in your Bulletin.
As a company, we have had to adapt quickly to the challenges which the pandemic presented. We have been fortunate to have the technology and experience to move the South Island and National Weanling Sales seamlessly to our online platform Gavelhouse Plus. Online sales may sound automated but I can assure you the team at NZB and Gavelhouse have worked as hard as ever on these two sales. Without the support of those of you that entered horses and the additional effort made to increase the media presentation and provide more details and reports than ever, we wouldn’t have been able to obtain the results we did. A few interesting snippets below;
There were over twice the number of Registered Buyers in the online version of the South Island Sale than we had in 2019 under normal circumstances.
There were 7,913 active users during the South Island Sale and 9,705 during the Weanling Sale.
Breakdown of user’s location as follows – NZ 67%, Aust 22%, HK 1%, China 1%, USA 2%, Singapore 1%, South Africa 1%, UK 1%, Macau 1% & Other 3%. Most of those countries were either purchasers or active bidders.
The Weanling Sale averaged $17,251 and cleared 80%, last year at Karaka the clearance rate was 71% and a similar average.
We would love to sell every horse in every sale for you and will always strive for improvement. Some of the above points are clearly telling us that the mighty kiwi bred remains relevant internationally and that our company, marketing and technology is getting the desired cut through in our strongest markets. So again, thank you for your support and in particular with embracing this method of selling.
There are a number of positives that we must remain mindful of. The progress of the Racing Bill which you will all be following and has been well covered. But for me, one thing that stands out through the recent months is that our two most important export partners have continued to race uninterrupted. Hong Kong and Australian racing were riding the crest of the wave before the pandemic and both regions appear to have maintained their appetite for Bloodstock, Racing and Wagering. This can’t be underestimated and while the NZ bred was able to continue to hold the fort offshore, our brand has remained strong. Whilst we can’t travel, we have representatives and very strong relationships with all the key players in our major markets and have already started to focus on building momentum leading into this year’s RTR and Karaka 2021.
Entries are closing for Karaka 2021 next month, July 17th to be exact. Please don’t hesitate to contact me or any member of the Bloodstock team if you are unsure about entering your yearlings. We would be only too happy to discuss it. One of the most common questions we are encountering at the moment relates to the opening of New Zealand’s border and the possibility of the much talked about Trans-Tasman bubble. At this stage, like you, there’s a lot we don’t know but of course we are following the developments closely. We will not hold the sale in the usual time slot unless Australian buyers have the ability to travel to New Zealand. We have made very thorough arrangements to postpone Karaka until a week in April should this occur and plan to make a decision in a timely manner that will not disrupt your sale preparations. We are confident that we will make a very well-considered decision that will enable you to sell your stock for the best possible return. In order for us to do that, we need the opportunity to market your best yearlings in New Zealand. If we can count on your support, we know that we can host another world class sale at Karaka.
Thank you and stay safe.
