Southern standardbred yearling breeders have not shut the door on PGG Wrightson, despite New Zealand Bloodstock (NZB) looking set to take over the yearling sales market.
NZB announced last week it would re-enter the pacing and trotting market after a 30-plus-year hiatus. PGG Wrightson had previously enjoyed a monopoly in the standardbred yearling sales market.
NZB’s move already looks to have effectively ended PGG Wrightson’s hopes of holding yearling sales in the North Island.
It is understood the majority of northern breeders will shift their support to NZB.
The Southern Bred Southern Reared group, whose members market and sell most of Otago and Southland’s yearlings, are taking a neutral position on which company to support, chairman Mark Smith said.
The group would present the facts about the changes to the marketplace caused by the entrance of NZB and present it in a letter to their members, he said.
What position PGG Wrightson will be in to handle future South Island sales looks uncertain.
A statement on its website said its standardbred staff had resigned and left the business to pursue other opportunities.
PGG Wrightson’s general manager of livestock, Peter Moore, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Recent comments in The Informant by Harness Racing New Zealand chairman Ken Spicer suggest standardbred breeders are keen to break away from PGG Wrightson, which previously had a monopoly on the market.
"I must say I was quite worried about what was going on with the sales back in March, so we started having some discussions about how we could help facilitate the move," Spicer said.
"The major northern vendors were very close to breaking away and staging their own sale, and I don’t think that would have been very helpful.
"Trainers who had a credit facility and were paying off their purchases were told when they had done so, that their accounts had been closed and that they would have to pay on the day in future.
"We just felt that PGG Wrightson was heading in the opposite direction that we needed to be going."
Spicer went as far as saying his organisation would help NZB set up an office in Christchurch.
"New Zealand Bloodstock will be looking to set up an office in Christchurch and I’m sure we could accommodate them in the new HRNZ building if they wanted."
