Karaka Kicks Off Tomorrow

by Kelsey Riley

New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale series gets underway tomorrow with the two-day Premier Sale at Karaka in Auckland. The Premier Sale features 443 lots, 90 of which are out of stakes winners and 114 that are siblings to stakes winners, including 31 siblings to Group 1 winners. The Select Sale, which produced seven Group 1 winners last season, will see 592 head go under the hammer from Jan. 28 to 30, and the Festival Sale wraps up proceedings Feb. 1 with 329 catalogued. 

New Zealand breeders have proven time and again their ability to turn out top-class horses not just in their homeland, but also abroad. New Zealand-breds made up just 6% of the racehorse population in Australia last season, yet won 20% of the Group 1s. Over the last four seasons, Karaka has been responsible for 21% of the auctioned yearling crop, and those horses have taken 37% of Group 1s won by yearlings that visited a sale ring. Just a few of the Karaka graduates to hit the spotlight over the last year are back-to-back G1 Doncaster Mile and G1 George Main S. winner Sacred Falls (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}); G1 Victoria Derby hero Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}); dual Group 1 winner Lucia Valentina (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) and the China Horse Club’s exciting G1 Flight S. winner First Seal (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), the second-highest priced filly at the 2013 Premier Sale at NZ$700,000. Siblings to Sacred Falls, Preferment and First Seal are catalogued to sell at the Premier Sale as lots 427, 287 and 372, respectively. 

The success of Karaka graduates doesn’t stop at Australasian shores. Over the last five seasons, Karaka yearlings have also won stakes races in America, England, Hong Kong, Ireland, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore and South Africa. Glorious Days (Aus) (Hussonet) became New Zealand’s fourth consecutive winner of the G1 Hong Kong Mile in 2013, while War Affair (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) won three local Group 1s and was recently crowned a multiple champion and Horse of the Year in Singapore. 

All graduates of NZB’s National Yearling Sale series are eligible for the Karaka Millions, a trio of races that this year will be contested Jan. 25. The highlight of the card is the NZ$1-million Karaka Million for juveniles, and it is supported by the NZ$250,000 Karaka 3YO Mile and the NZ$100,000 Stayers Cup, open to 3-year-olds and older. 

By the Best Sires, From the Best Studs… 
The recently concluded Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale was highlighted by strong results by this year’s exceptionally high-class first-season sire roster, and a number of those young stallions, including Sepoy (Aus) (Elusive Quality), So You Think (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}) and Foxwedge (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), are represented at Karaka. Other first-crop sires represented include five-time Group 1 winner Jimmy Choux (NZ) (Thorn Park {Aus}), G1 Epsom Derby winner Pour Moi (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and transatlantic Grade/Group 1 winner Cape Blanco (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Australian champion sires Fastnet Rock (Aus), Exceed and Excel (Aus) and Redoute’s Choice (Aus) have yearlings catalogued, as does the recently deceased High Chaparral (Ire), who was a revelation when standing in New Zealand from 2005 to 2010. 

Sir Patrick Hogan’s Cambridge Stud was the leading vendor at the Karaka Premier Sale for 32 consecutive years before just missing out the last two years, and Cambridge provided last year’s sale topper in the form of an NZ$800,000 Fastnet Rock colt from champion 3-year-old filly Katie Lee (Aus) (Pins {Aus}). Cambridge stood and developed breed-shaping sire Zabeel (NZ), who was pensioned from stud duty just over a year ago and is represented by his final two yearlings for sale here. The stud consigns lot 102, a half-brother to Group 1 winner Time Keeper (NZ) (Stravinsky). Other highlights from the Cambridge draft include lot 37, a More Than Ready colt out of Group 2 winner Lovetrista (Aus) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}); and lot 96, a Stravinsky half-brother to stakes winners Pussy Willow (NZ) and Pussy O’Reilly (NZ), out of the Group 1-placed Octapussy (NZ). 

Waikato Stud, which stood leading sire O’Reilly until his recent death, was the sale’s leading vendor for the first time last year, and its draft includes the full-brother to Sacred Falls, as well as a Fastnet Rock colt out of a full-sister to High Chaparral (lot 340). 

Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore Stud ended Cambridge’s stranglehold on the vendor’s title two years ago, and one of the highlights of their draft on paper is lot 85, a Fastnet Rock half-brother to G1 Doncaster Mile winner Triple Honour (NZ) (Honours List {Ire}). 

Others that could draw attention are Hallmark Stud’s Street Cry (Ire) filly lot 9, the first foal out of triple Group 1 winner Keep The Peace (NZ) (Keeper {Aus}); lot 227, a Redoute’s Choice half-brother to G1 Newmarket H. winner Shamexpress (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) and lot 413, an O’Reilly half-brother to five-time Group 1 winner and sire Darci Brahma (NZ) (Danehill)–who topped the 2004 Premier Sale on a bid of NZ$1.1 million–and Group 3 winner Burgundy (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice {Aus}). 

The sale begins at 11 a.m. local time each day with the exception of the Festival Sale, which starts at 10 a.m. For catalogues, results and live streaming, visit www.nzb.co.nz.