Eagleton bullish ahead of National Weanling Sale

[Wandering Eyes]

Seaton Park’s Scott Eagleton has been buoyed by inspections both on-farm and at Karaka on Tuesday ahead of Thursday’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale.

The Morrinsville vendor will present eight weanlings on behalf of clients at the one-day sale, with positive feedback on the diverse draft which features a slew of in-vogue sires.

Among them are weanlings by reigning champion sire Proisir, Satono Aladdin, Almanzor, Ardrossan and Blue Point in addition to a quality colt from the first crop of Cambridge Stud’s Group One winning son of Snitzel, Sword Of State.

“We are thrilled to be here. We are very lucky to be well-represented by good sires which helps,” Eagleton said.

“There are a couple that stand out for me. We have a lovely Sword of State colt out of a mare called Soft Hearted. He looks a real yearling type and will be a great horse for the pinhookers.

“We have a Satono Aladdin filly out of a mare called Whispering who I think is an end-users horse.  She is a racehorse all day long.

“It is good to see people like Graham Richardson and a few of the key stables here looking at these horses.”

All weanlings offered at the New Zealand Bloodstock Weanling Sale are eligible to be paid up for the Karaka Million Series, which includes the $1million Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and $1.5million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), and Eagleton believes it is a lucrative incentive.

“I have always been a great fan of the weanling sale, particularly if it is a relatively small number but good quality. Without a doubt the ability to sign up for the Karaka Millions Series means end-users can get real value here for the right type.”

Seaton Park’s Scott Eagleton oversees parades at Karaka on Tuesday
Photo: Trish Dunell

Eagleton pointed to a horse like his well-muscled Blue Point colt as a suitable offering that looks an up and running type.

“Blue Points have shown plenty, particularly in the Autumn and I think he will make a great sire but more importantly I think the end-users can invest easily in that type of horse here,” he said.

“The inspections have been very good, they have been steady. They are only young horses so it is a good day to get them out learning the ropes and I’d say it will be all guns blazing over the next couple of days.”

The breeder of Group One winning filly Molly Bloom, the hands-on Eagleton said buyers can take confidence that all of his offerings were foaled down at Seaton Park and said there were a myriad of reasons for presenting weanlings, including cash-flow.

“We foaled about 210 last season and we have a really good client base that were keen to look at this sale with the right type,” he said. “Cash flow is king and with stud season coming up and service fees it makes the whole thing tick. Let’s hope this is another positive few days for the New Zealand industry, which is enjoying a really good resurgence right now.”

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