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A Thoroughbred industry veteran with 41 Group One wins to his credit, Guy Mulcaster has been active at this year's New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run sale purchasing a beautiful Per Incanto colt for his client for NZ$150,000.
Mulcaster Bloodstock has a proven record of success that most recently boasts four times Cox Plate winner Winx, inaugural Golden Eagle winner Kolding and fellow Group One winner Kermadec, Preferment, Foreteller, Grand Marshal, Sacred Falls, Amicus, Sacred Star, Rock Diva, Moriarty, Sacred Elixir, Delectation and the dams of First Seal and More Than Sacred. Mulcaster Bloodstock’s services not only include the valuation, purchase, and management of racehorses but also additional services like insurance and even accommodation.
This year The Impact got an opportunity to speak with him at Karaka. Here are the excerpts for you:
Q: Firstly how did this sale-topping purchasing come about? And what are your plans for this horse?
A: I have an Australian client who had seen success with Per Incanto horses and he wanted to purchase another horse from the same sire. So we decided to explore the NZB Ready To Run Sale. I pointed out a couple of horses to him that I thought would be suitable. He chose one of the two and the horse passed all the veterinary inspections. We managed to secure him for a good price.
We haven't decided on the next steps for him yet. He can stay in New Zealand for up to twelve months. So we will give some education in New Zealand and take him to Australia when he's ready.
Q: What are your plans for the upcoming yearling sale?
A: I'm in Zealand currently. There are a lot of nice horses here in New Zealand. And even though, it's still eight weeks to go. There are some very nice horses, which will be targeting clients for us at the end of January.
Thereafter I will leave for Australia. I'm doing the on-farm inspections in the Hunter Valley in the two weeks leading up to Christmas. And then after that, I'll be doing the inspections in the Queensland area for the local horses before they get to the sales. Later, once the horses get to the sales, I will be doing second and third inspections there for those ones on the shortlist.
Q: Have you always done an on-farm inspection? Or have you started doing them after the COVID restrictions this year?
A: Because of the COVID restrictions, I will not be able to return to New Zealand (without quarantine: from Australia. So we have to do the farm inspections for the Karaka National Yearling Sale earlier and we will have our lists compiled before we go to Australia. Then once we get to Australia will probably stay there until the Inglis Easter sale.
Q: What is it that you typically look at when you look at buying horses?
A: I look for the right looking athlete. I'm looking for horses with awareness and a good outlook and then we match up them up with the pedigree later. Most of the time we have to work on the values that come up during the sale because as you know, some stallions will be of higher interest to the market and some will get pushed to the side a little bit. Thus the values can change every day of the sale. But you have a general idea and the market sort of deciding what they're going to make anyway.
Q: How many horses do you typically buy during the yearling sale season?
A: It just depends on what my clients want to buy when they want to buy them and where they want to buy them. Every year is different.
The prize money is so good in Australia. People are happy to buy it at every level of the market. It doesn't really matter what you pay for horses. If they are good enough, they will easily recoup the purchase price, may go on to Stakes’ level, and have a good value for selling afterward as well.
Q: And finally, who is your favourite horse?
A: Winx is the horse of a lifetime. She is very close to my heart. We also have Kolding that we bought in New Zealand. He's put nearly A$ 8 million in the bank for the owner. So, he's a very horse we really like as well.
There are so many beautiful horses out there that I'm sure that there is always another one hiding somewhere.