Bidding on All Age Sale in home straight

New Zealand Bloodstock Standardbred bosses are seeing the last-day flurry they expected as New Zealand’s largest ever online sale comes into the home straight. 

NZB Standardbred’s All Age Sale finishes tomorrow on gavelhouse.com, the first time a major catalogue of standardbred horses has been sold on that platform in New Zealand.

Will gavelhouse.com has been active in in the standardbred market for over a year, the migrating of the entire All Age Sale catalogue with it’s very strong weanling component came about because of COVID-19 and has enormously boosted the registrations to the site, with 205 new potential buyers registered in the last week.

And there has been plenty of clicking in the last 24 hours as the Sale draws to it’s conclusion starting at 1pm tomorrow (Wednesday).

“The Sale starts the countdown to closing off at 1pm on Wednesday,” says NZB Director James Jennings.

“At 1pm the first lot starts its one-minute countdown to being sold but if anybody bids in the last 30 seconds that lot will auto extend for 30 more seconds.

“That is to stop somebody waiting until the last second to bid and other potential buyers not having the chance to counter bid.

“So once that lot is sold the next lot starts to countdown for its last minute and so on until the sale is complete.”

Jennings and his team have been thrilled with the response to the Sale, with 52 horses already having met their reserve.

“That is not only great for their vendors but also for the buyers because it shows that reserves have been realistic.”

Jennings says the Sale has been typical of Trade Me-style auctions when buyers know they have a week to bid.

“We saw a flurry of activity over the weekend when people have had more time to study the catalogue and bid.

“And we have been helping some of the newly registered buyers through that process.

“So the next 24 hours should be really exciting. But already we are thrilled the Sale has gone so well.”

One of the key attractions of the Sale is any weanling purchased will be eligible for the Harness Million series.

Pinhookers will also have the opportunity to re-enter their purchases for next February’s National Yearling Sale, at an unmoved entry fee of $950 plus GST for the Auckland Sale or $925 plus GST for the Christchurch Sale.

Entries for those sales open in June and will be made through the new NZB Standardbred portal which enables online entry, so no more paper forms.

View the catalogue on gavelhouse.com here. 

The first Lot closes at 1PM (NZT) on Wednesday 27 May with all weanlings purchased eligible for the Harness Million Series.

Michael Guerin