The fifth edition of NZB’s popular Ready to Run Sale Trainers Series has boosted local trainers’ chances of holding their own against the powerful overseas market during the Ready to Run Sale at Karaka next week.
Last Saturday’s NZB Ready to Run Sale Trainers Series Premier (1400m) at Riccarton was the last leg of a seven-race series that began at Hastings in early September. Lucrative prizes were attached to each race, and the spoils were split between six stables – Robbie Patterson, Pam Gerard, Tony Pike, Lisa Latta, Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson (two wins), and Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall.
The NZB Ready to Run Trainers Series was backed for the fifth year in a row by long-term sponsors Majestic Horse Transport, while Dunstan Horsefeeds also came on board as a new partner. The winning trainer in each sponsored race received the following prize package:
- $500 travel voucher towards travel to the 2024 Ready to Run Sale at Karaka.
- A $1,000 insurance voucher towards insurance for one purchase at the 2024 Ready to Run Sale, courtesy of NZB Insurance.
- A Majestic Horse Transport voucher (valued at $250 for Northern, $400 for Central and $750 for Southern race winners) towards the transport of one 2024 Ready to Run Sale purchase, courtesy of Majestic Horse Transport.
- A $500 feed voucher from leading industry supporter Dunstan Horsefeeds.
The individual winners of each of the seven races in this year’s NZB Ready to Run Sale Trainers Series were as follows:
- Hastings, September 7: Belles Fate (NZ) (Iffraaj), trained by Robbie Patterson at New Plymouth.
- Riccarton, September 14: Karaka 2022 graduate Tonia’s Dragon (NZ) (Time Test), for in-form Matamata trainer Pam Gerard.
- Matamata, October 2: Acquarello (Written Tycoon), from the Cambridge stable of Tony Pike.
- Hawera, October 5: Connello (NZ) (Time Test), trained by Lisa Latta at Awapuni.
- Ellerslie, October 19: The first of two wins in the series for Te Akau Racing’s Matamata-based training partnership of Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson. This win came with Legally Binding (Exceedance).
- Ellerslie, November 5: Confiance (NZ) (Proisir), trained by Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall at Matamata.
- Riccarton, November 9: Walker and Bergerson’s second win, this time with Karaka 2022 graduate Mazzucato (NZ) (Tivaci).
Matamata based trainer Graham Richardson praised the initiative for the domestic buying bench, following Confiance's (NZ) (Proisir) win in the Series at Ellerslie.
"I was really stoked when I received the prize package along with the race."
"It gives domestic trainers a boost to want to go out and buy at this type of Sale," he added.
The 2024 edition of the Ready to Run Sale will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from 11am (NZT) on 20 & 21 November with Breeze Ups to be held at Te Rapa Racecourse on 21 & 22 October.
