New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale has delivered widespread name recognition and respect for a range of established consignors, and now a talented group of newcomers, including Avoca Racing Stables, are keen to make a splash next month in their debut appearance at the world’s leading sale of two-year-olds.
Shelley Houston is already a household name in the thoroughbred industry, thanks mainly to her feats in the saddle during an accomplished career as a jumps jockey.
Houston rode 111 winners between New Zealand’s 2001-02 and 2013-14 seasons, 10 of them at the highest level including the 2010 Great Northern Hurdle (4190m) and the 2003 Wellington Hurdle (3400m).
She has also had a number of notable successes as a trainer, including with stable star Lucky Tonight (NZ) (Lucky Unicorn). The talented jumper won four races and earned over $260,000 in stakes, headed by gallant placings in Australia’s prestigious Crisp Steeplechase (3900m) and Grand National Steeplechase (4500m).
The 2021 Ready to Run Sale marks Houston’s first sale offering under the banner of Avoca Racing Stables. She will offer a gelding by Fabulous (NZ) (Lot 29) and a gelding by Wrote (Lot 178).
“I’ve often done a bit of sale preparation with horses without actually taking horses all the way through to the sales,” Houston said. “I’ve always broken in and prepared a few horses for various clients, and I often go to the sales myself to try to buy horses to pinhook. I’ve done a bit of work for a few different vendors at the sales over the years as well.
“I’ve lucky enough to have quite a few clients interested in having me prepare horses on their behalf, and I thought that if I could get a handful of nice horses together, it would be worth giving it a crack.
“I’ve also had a lot of help from Sally House, who has the Fabulous gelding in our draft this year. She’s always been more than happy to provide advice, and she’s been a big help.
“Fabulous is an interesting sire, a real grassroots horse, and physically I can’t fault this gelding at all. He’s well-built, muscular, a real athlete and a dream to deal with.
“How he looks on paper doesn’t really do him justice, but anyone who’s physically at the sale grounds and sees him will definitely want to take a closer look. He really stands out when he’s there in front of you.
“There’s been a lot of interest in him prior to the sale, which is really encouraging. I think that’s an advantage of being based in Cambridge – a lot of traders and other people in the industry get to see them there on the track. That’s a real positive for me.
“The Wrote gelding is a beauty. He’s the first foal out of a really nice mare who won five races. He’s an absolute little racehorse. If I wasn’t preparing him for the Ready to Run Sale, I would have taken him to the trials already this spring. He’s got three-year-old written all over him. He’s a lovely type with a huge stride, and he’s been very easy to break in. He just needs to come up a little bit more in the shoulder – he’s long enough in the leg, so you know he’s going to grow.”