After a tough year personally, Waikato Stud manager Mark Chittick is once again celebrating a great sale business-wise.
For the second year in a row, Waikato Stud has been the leading seller at the Karaka Premier Sale, selling 40 yearlings for more than $NZ6.8 million ($A6.36 million).
But it comes after a tough year for Chittick, during which he lost his wife Lisa to cancer and his leading sire O'Reilly.
"I suppose we've had something of a yin and yang where on the personal side we've had these battles, but on the business side it's been hugely successful," Chittick said.
"It's nice to be able to get these results to hold your chin up high."
Chittick said it was satisfying not only to top the sale but also to have sold nearly all their draft.
"We've got 87 of our own horses up here this week and there's another 120 in the paddock born this year, so it's very important that we have a good clearance rate," he said.
Waikato Stud also got its best-ever individual sale result, a $600,000 Fastnet Rock-Dance On By colt sold on behalf of Brendan and Jo Lindsay to Bart and James Cummings.
"Obviously it was a fantastic privilege to have a horse like that in our draft, and for Brendan and Jo, who are very good friends," Chittick said.
It fetched the second highest price of the sale.
The top lot was sold by boutique Cambridge location Lyndhurst Farm.
They sold a Fastnet Rock-Il Quello Veloce filly, for $800,000 on behalf of Newgate Farm in NSW to leading New Zealand buyer David Ellis.
"We're really proud of it because we're a small set-up," Lyndhurst's Mark Treweek said.
"We put a lot of work in and it's really good to get the results for the clients when they trust us with their horses that can be worth so much money."
Ellis, who was once again the leading buyer, said it was nerve-racking bidding for the filly.
"But I've been coming to this sale since 1988 and I can't remember a better quality filly, certainly in the last 10 years."
Lyndhurst also topped the 2009 sale when their Encosta de Lago-Giovana colt went for $800,000.
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