“It’s show time!” – That is how Maryanne Simon of Mana Park describes the Ready to Run Sale at Karaka that starts on Tuesday.   “It’s such an exciting time – the hard work, education and training has all been done, and it’s time to put the gloss on the horses and really make them stand out.”

Maryanne and her husband George, one of NZ’s most popular race commentators, pride themselves on delivering outstanding looking individuals who take the eye of prospective buyers in the sale ring.

Heading into its fifth Ready to Run Sale, Mana Park has quickly built-up a reputation for producing well educated stock that have been given every opportunity of making the grade both domestically and in the international marketplace.

“We outsource the initial breaking-in and training of the horses to Darryn and Lou Weatherly of Weatherly Bloodstock, and also Danny Walker and Aaron Tata at Willow Farm,” explains Simon.  “The horses come back to Mana Park following the breeze-ups and that is where my team come in to add the finishing touches.”

Simon keeps a close eye on the condition and weight of horses, which she explains are statistics that are important to have on-hand for buyers on the day of the sale.

“We find that the Asian buyers are particularly interested in the weights and heights of the horses so we keep good records of these and make sure they are available on request,” explains Simon.  “It’s another way of marketing our draft to the best of our ability.”

Mana Farm’s 2009 draft comprises a blend of New Zealand-based and Australia sires featuring the likes of Viking Ruler, Jungle Pocket, King’s Chapel, Domesday, and Galileo.