The progeny of Cambridge Stud stallion Tavistock have been in high demand on the first day of New Zealand Bloodstock's national weanling, broodmare and mixed bloodstock sale at Karaka.

Pinhookers Mark and Shelley Treweek of Lyndhurst Farm went to $170,000 to secure a son of the boom sire.

The attractive bay was sold by Gordon Cunningham's Curraghmore on behalf of breeder Greg Tomlinson and is out of the Volksraad mare Sentura, dam of two stakes performers including the Nigel Blackiston-trained Electric Aura who was placed in the Tasmanian Oaks this year.

"I obviously like the fact he's by Tavistock and to top it off he's out of a Volksraad mare, which is the same cross as Volkstok'n'barrell," Mark Treweek said.

He indicated the colt would be re-offered as a yearling at Karaka in January.

As well as Group One winner Volkstok'n'barrell from his first crop, Tavistock is the sire of this season's Victoria and Australian Derby winners Tarzino and Tavago with his upcoming service fee $65,000, a $50,000 increase.

A Tavistock colt from the Viking Ruler mare Times Remembered was knocked down to the bid of bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo for $155,000.

The median price showed a 188 per cent increase from $4000 last year to $11,500, while the average showed a hike of 85 per cent from $12,302 to $22,709.

The day one aggregate settled at $NZ2,952,200 ($A2.74 million), up $1,168,450 on last year's opener and this with 15 less horses contributing to the figure.

The strong demand that drove the record figures also resulted in a clearance rate of 87 per cent.