READY TO RUN : A NEW GLOBAL STANDARD
Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 01:56PM 
Ready To Run Gallops at Summerhill Stud
(Photo : Gareth du Plessis)
“Extract from Australia’s Gavelhouse”
South Africa’s Ready To Run Sale, which comfortably exceeded its predecessors in terms of averages and turnover, may well have set an international standard that is going to make the rest of the world “take a hard look” at our model. So says Gavelhouse South Africa’s director David Mickleburgh.
“First of all, the lavish marketing programme spearheaded by Mick Goss of Summerhill Stud was brilliantly conceived and executed at a level of intensity not seen elsewhere, was reinforced by a sponsor, Emperors Palace, who did not hold back in exploiting the occasion and venue to its fullest extent resulting in a branding exercise that others will do well to follow,” he commented. “Ready to Run sales elsewhere, and in the Antipodes particularly, are generally indifferent affairs and none have developed the excellence or respect of the Emperors Palace exercise. But it is in the trading results and quality of stock that is causing others to take notice,” Mickleburgh suggests.
“Our Ready To Run has now entrenched itself as the happy hunting ground for skilled South African pinhookers to ply their trade internationally, buying weanlings in Australia and New Zealand and even South America, raising them till two-year-olds in this country and on-selling highly profitably at the Emperors Palace Ready to Run. And don’t think the Aussies and Kiwis haven’t noticed this trend and are on their part ready to cater to our pinhookers,” Mickleburgh added. “In fact, this year’s sale was dominated at the upper price levels by well bred, two-year-olds imported as weanlings which accounted for about 10% of the catalogue but about 25% of the R31,000,000 aggregate, which in itself was well above last year’s R23,685,000. The strong marketing backed by the impressive quality level of the imports, ensured that the average of R189,000, was an increase of nearly 20% quite extraordinary in this tough economy. Virtually all the top prices were achieved by the quality imports,” points out Mickleburgh.
Sales topper was a Royal Academy colt knocked down for R1.5 million to Form Bloodstock. The unnamed colt is out of Machiavelian’s granddaughter Dubai’s Fairy and was consigned by Summerhill’s Mick Goss who understandably enjoyed the lion share of business.
Another lot to make R1 million was lot 180, also a Rock of Gibraltar colt, also consigned by Summerhill and also purchased by Form Bloodstock.
The highest priced priced filly on the sale was lot 71, a daughter of El Prado. Consigned by Summerhill Sales, the grey filly was bought by Anfield Sports for R900,000. The excellent prices achieved by the large number of pinhooked fillies indicated that the speculators had recognized the continual demand by South African breeders for well related females with stud potential.
The top nine prices were for imported stock and included an interesting South American import consigned by Nicola Coppez’s Balmoral pre-training farm representing a mix of USA and Brazillian blood; knocked down for R400,000 to Fred Crabbia; the colt was sired by Breeders Cup Classic winner Alphabet Soup out of a well-performed Brazillian mare Allysa.
As pleased as anyone else over the results was the TBA who are experiencing some stiff competition from Cape-based sales companies which enjoy an advantage due to the restrictions governing the movement of horses in South Africa.
Extract from Gavelhouse
