The New Zealand Bloodstock sale moved from an August session to April in 2014. The clearance rate of 64% at last year's sale suggested hard going for vendors but the catalogue is littered with class this year.
On top of that, preparers in North Taieri and Waimate have bumper drafts for Friday's sale at the Canterbury Agricultural Park in Christchurch.
White Robe Lodge stud manager Wayne Stewart was thrilled with his 15 entries in the sale.
‘‘It's a really nice draft of horses,'' he said.
‘‘They've all got pedigree and nice types. You could buy any one of them with your eyes closed. It's probably as good a draft as I've taken to the South Island sale for years.''
The mood was just as positive two hours up the road at two establishments near Waimate.
Pear Tree Farm co-owner Anna Miles described the farm's draft of 10 horses as ‘‘absolutely cracking''.
‘‘We couldn't be happier with this lot,'' she said.
‘‘They stack up in the book and they stack up on type. We've got horses by sires that people are going to want.''
Miles and her husband, Michael Simpson, have taken about eight drafts to Christchurch and said this year was ‘‘the best by far''.
Willow Glen's Jimmy Cooney said the draft she prepared with husband Mike was larger - and better - than before.
‘‘We've got nine going and we're pretty excited about them, actually. It's probably our best draft ever. They're all correct and lovely types.''
Asking a sales preparer for their best lots is like asking a parent to choose their favourite child, but it will be hard to ignore the O'Reilly colt out of four-win mare Bronte Walk from the Pear Tree Farm draft. The brown yearling should go close to topping the sale.
‘‘We've got proven horses [by sires] like Pins and O'Reilly, we've got a really nice Jimmy Choux colt out of a nice mare, and a nice Mastercraftsman filly.
‘‘Probably the pick of our [South Island-prepared] horses is lot 73, a Cape Blanco colt. He's a really attractive horse with a good pedigree and a lovely temperament - he's got everything going for him.''
Willow Glen has a filly by Power, this year's leading freshman sire at Karaka, who recorded his first winner through Peace Envoy at Dundalk in Ireland at the weekend.
Cooney also has time for a Charge Forward colt out of Danehill Dancer mare Mantova and a Highly Recommended-Pop Your Buttons colt who is a half to the stakes-placed Gwynethanne.
Recent performances have also worked in the favour of the White Robe Lodge draft.
‘‘The Cherry Creek filly being a half to Coulee certainly helps her page a bit,'' Stewart said.
Coulee grabbed black-type glory at Riccarton last month with her win in the group 3 South Island Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes.
‘‘And Sheeza Drama [the mother of a yearling filly] is from the same family as Coulee, so it's a good [pedigree] update to a few of them.''
Closely related colts out of Legal Note and Pernote add strength to White Robe Lodge's 10 colts at the sale.
Eight of the White Robe yearlings are by Raise The Flag, four by Gallant Guru and two by No Excuse Needed. The Sheeza Drama filly is by Star Witness.
