New Zealand Bloodstock is set to celebrate the 90th edition of the National Yearling Sales Series commencing on the 25th January with 1378 yearlings going through the ring at Karaka 2016.
Karaka has built the reputation as the best source of Group 1 winners, with over 100 Group 1 wins recorded by Sale graduates in the past five seasons. Last season Karaka graduates won Group 1 races in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and New Zealand.
NZB celebrated 26 Group 1 wins last season, the most of any sales company in Australasia. Despite only providing 21% of the auctioned yearling crop, the least of any auction house, Karaka has provided 37% of Group 1 yearling graduates in Australasia in the past five seasons.
The new season has started with a bang with five Group 1 winners in Australia already this season. The headline act is Prince of Penzance (NZ) (Pentire) who was victorious in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup.
Completing the Caulfield Cup/Melbourne Cup double for Karaka graduates was Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Empire) with his win in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup earlier in the season.
Kiwi three-year-olds have a great record in Australia and last season was no different with six Group 1 winners coming from Karaka including Volkstok’n’barrell (NZ) (Tavistock) who became the sixth kiwi in the past eight years to win the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas.
New Zealand bred or sold horses are also renowned for their success in the Group 1 Derbies in Australia, winning 45% of them in the past five seasons. Last season saw Mongolian Khan become thre first horse in 30 years to repeat Bonecrusher’s feat of winning both the Group 1 New Zealand and Group 1 Australian Derby. His win came after Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel) (VRC Derby) added the Group 1 Victoria Derby to the cabinet. The son of Zabeel has since gone on to win the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes in the new season.
The new season has continued to be fruitful for three-year-olds with Tarzino (NZ) (Tavistock) victorious in the Group 1 Victoria Derby – the seventh kiwi to win the race in the past decade.
Beating the older horses as a three-year-old was Kermadec (NZ) (Teofilo) with victory in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile, the seventh kiwi in the past eight years to win Australia’s richest mile race. He added a second feature mile at Randwick this season, winning the Group 1 George Main Stakes.
The fillies were not to be outdone by the boys and two fillies bought at Karaka were successful at the highest level. New Zealand bred fillies have won 34% of Group 1 fillies races in Australia in the past five seasons and Gust of Wind (NZ) (Darci Brahma) added to it with her victory in the Group 1 Australian Oaks. She was joined by Karaka graduate First Seal (Fastnet Rock), winner of the Group 1 Flight Stakes, as Group 1 winners in Sydney last season.
The victory by Gust of Wind came during The Championships at Randwick which was dominated by New Zealand bred or sold horses, winning 50% of all Group 1 races for the second consecutive year. Joining Gust of Wind, Mongolian Khan and Kermadec as winners at this year’s The Championship was the kiwi born and raised Criterion (NZ) (Serbring) who was triumphant in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
The largest source of kiwi horses is NZB’s National Yearling Sales Series which will be held on 25 – 31 January at Karaka. And with the edition of the $1m Karaka Million 3YO Classic to the Karaka Million Series, buyers now have two million reasons to be at Karaka 2016.
See you at Karaka 2016 – it’s where winning begins.
