Astute buyers know how to find a bargain that can turn into gold at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Festival Sale, finding success both on the track and in the sale ring.

GAULTIER winning last year's Group 1 Levin Classic. Photo Courtesy of Race Images (P.Nth).

The place to find a value racehorse, the Festival Sale produced two Group 1 winners last season –Iamishwara (NZ) (Keeninsky) and Gaultier (NZ) (Rios).

Purchased for just $8,000, Iamishwara has been a prolific money spinner, winning prizemoney of over 50 times his purchase. His victory in the Group 1 Haunui Farm WFA Classic last season helped take his career earnings over $400,000.

The Festival Sale has also been successful for pinhookers, with buyers looking to on-sell at the NZB Ready to Run Sale in November. With modest outlays, savvy buyers have returned tidy profits with graduates of the Sale.

A colt by Cecconi was purchased for just $15,000 at last year’s Festival Sale. The colt returned to the NZB Ready to Run Sale in November and was purchased by Unifaith Bloodstock for $190,000, profit of $175,000.

Another bargain buy at the 2015 Festival Sale was a colt by Guillotine, purchased for $10,000 before returning to Karaka and fetching $90,000 at the NZB Ready to Run Sale when purchased by Laurie Laxon later in the year, a profit of $80,000 for his shrewd buyer.

A colt by Per Incanto broke the $200,000 mark at the NZB Ready to Run Sale, selling for $210,000 to Magus Equine having been purchased for $65,000 at the Festival Sale, returning a profit of $145,000.

The Festival Sale this year has attracted a catalogue of 298 yearlings for the one-day sale. A strong representation of young sires is led by Jimmy Choux with 10 yearlings catalogued in the Sale.

Currently the leading first season sire and two-year-old sire in New Zealand, Jimmy Choux is the sire of Manolo Blahniq (NZ) who looks set to start as race-favourite for the $1m Karaka Million.

A strong representation of 9 first season sires have progeny entered in the Sale including Azamour, Burgundy, He’s Remarkable, Highly Recommended,Niagara, Power, Reliable Man, Rock’n’Pop and Super Easy.

Every horse entered in the 2016 National Yearling Sales Series is eligible to enter for the Karaka Million Series which comprises of the $1 million Karaka Million, the $1m Karaka Million 3YO Classic, and the $100,000 Karaka Stayers Cup for the remainder of their careers.

The bumper one-day Festival Sale is on Sunday 31 January where buyers will be out to find another star on the racetrack or in the sale ring.