Karaka Yearling Sale Catalog Shows Improved Strength

A concerted long-term commitment by New Zealand stud masters to improve the depth of the country's stallion ranks is borne out in next year's Karaka Yearling Sale, with breeders no longer needing to solely rely on the progeny of champion sire Savabeel to attract international buyers to New Zealand Bloodstock's annual yearling sale.

The catalog for the streamlined sale, released Nov. 23, features 578 lots in Book 1 and another 340 yearlings in Book 2, down from the 677-lot Book 1 and 473 lots offered in Book 2 earlier this year.

NZB also confirmed that, for the first time, the Book 3 sale will be held entirely online via the company's Gavelhouse.com online auction platform.

Andrew Seabrook, NZB's managing director, believes the depth of the 2021 January sale is as strong as it has been for some time with progeny by Reliable Man, Tavistock, and Sacred Falls performing well across Australasia during the spring.

"The investment (by stud masters) has been fantastic in the past three to five years, particularly in the staying stallions, and we had 13 first-season sires represented last January who have 2-year-olds now, so any one of those could put their hands up to be the next big stallion for New Zealand," Seabrook told ANZ Bloodstock News. 

"I think we are in good stead going forward and then we have first-season sires like Almanzor and others with their first crop yearlings next year.

"The strength of the catalog is the best it has been for some time."

As would be expected, the NZB Book 1 catalog has a big representation from Savabeel (42) and the late Cambridge Stud sire Tavistock (35), as well as Ocean Park (17), Reliable Man (28), Sacred Falls (nine), and Per Incanto (21). 

Australia's premier stallions also figure prominently in the make-up of the 2021 catalog, with yearlings by Snitzel, I Am Invincible, Fastnet Rock, Dundeel, and Pierro all being offered at Karaka.

First-season sires from both countries also have yearlings cataloged including home country stallions Almanzor, Derryn, Satono Aladdin, Time Test, War Decree, Mongolian Falcon, and What's the Story.

Gordon Cunningham, whose Curraghmore operation has sold the likes of recent Barneswood Farm 48th New Zealand One Thousand Guineas (G1) winner Kahma Lass, Aimee's Jewel, In a Twinkling, and retired group 1 winners Unforgotten and First Seal, holds his latest draft in high regard.

Among Curraghmore's draft is a Raffles-bred Pierro filly who is the second foal out of Barfoot and Thompson Auckland Cup (G1) winner and Wellfield New Zealand Oaks (G1) placegetter Rock Diva, herself a half sister to champion Australian 3-year-old filly Shamrocker, a dual group 1 winner. 

"We've always had plenty of confidence that there will be good horses to come from each crop on our farm and the draft we'll take to Karaka in January will be no exception," Cunningham said.

"The international trainers and owners have come over here for years and sourced good horses, so they know that buying horses at Karaka for their stable is part and parcel of their success going forward, so I have got no doubt that they will be operating again next year."

To help make it easier for international buyers to participate, particularly those in Asia, selling on each of the four days from Jan. 24-28 will start at 1 p.m. New Zealand time. 

Last week's NZB Ready to Run Sale was also conducted in the same time slot and feedback from buyers ensured the status quo was maintained.

The success of the Karaka sale relies heavily on the international market, particularly Australian owners and trainers, and despite the likelihood that a travel bubble between the two countries will not be in place in time for next year's sale, Seabrook remains confident that the company can attract a competitive overseas market.

"We don't see any reason why that won't be the case in January. Karaka is still the place to buy those good, tough, sound middle-distance horses and staying horses, and we have got so many stallions performing well at the moment," Seabrook said.

"There is no reason why the Australians won't be active. The other thing in our favor in January is that the pinhookers walked away last week a lot more confident than we were heading into the sale. Normally, when the Ready to Run Sale is strong, the yearling sale in January follows on as well.

"I am not saying it is going to be up on this year—that would be foolish of me—but what happened last week does give me a bit more confidence."

The release of the NZB Karaka catalog comes soon after Australian auction houses Magic Millions and Inglis released their catalogs for the Gold Coast and Classic Yearling sales respectively.