Karaka a Proven Source of World-Class Talent

Previous racetrack achievements attained by graduates of New Zealand Bloodstock Sales reinforce their immense stamina and Group One-winning abilities. Featured below is a seasonal review of NZB’s compelling graduate successes.  

NZB’s 2019-20 Group One honour roll features an outstanding list of top-class performers over a range of distances and jurisdictions, including the likes of Avantage (Fastnet Rock), Beat The Clock (Hinchinbrook), Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock), Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands), Mr Stunning (Exceed and Excel), Te Akau Shark (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle) and many more.

Graduate Highlights

• In the last five seasons, Karaka graduates have claimed 109 G1 wins and 724 stakes wins.
• NZ-bred fillies won 75% of G1 Oaks races run in Australia and NZ last season.
• One third of all G1 Guineas races run in Australasia during the last six seasons were won by NZB gradautes. 
• Ready to Run Sale alumni have claimed 20 G1 wins and 135 Stakes wins in the last six seasons alone, compared with just three G1 wins and 69 stakes wins for graduates of both Australian two-year-old Sales combined.
• Outperforming all others, graduates of the last five editions of NZB’s Ready to Run Sale have earned on average an astounding 49% more prizemoney than graduates of both Australian 2YO Sales combined.

Australia

• 10 NZ-bred horses claimed G1 honours in Australia during the 2019-20 season.
• 43% of all G1 filly races in Australia last season were won by NZ-breds.
• A total of 31 NZ-bred Group winners won 36 Group races in Australia last season, despite representing just 6.9% of the racing population.Known for their stamina, NZ-bred or sold horses have won 27% of all G1 races run over 2020m and beyond in Australia in the last five seasons.
• 16 G1 races were won by NZ-breds during the last five Melbourne Spring Carnivals.
• Karaka alumni have claimed 10 G1 races at The Championships in the last six seasons alone.

Hong Kong

• A staggering 46% of all G1 winners in Hong Kong during the last two seasons were sourced at Karaka.
• In the entire history of the Hong Kong Derby, NZ horses have been the number one source of winners, including 2020 winner, NZB Ready to Run Sale graduate Golden Sixty.
• All-time Hong Kong prizemoney record holder Beauty Generation’s (NZ) earnings have now exceeded HK$194 million, more than 340 times his original purchase price at Karaka.
• NZB graduates completed a clean sweep all G1 1200m races in Hong Kong last season.
• Graduates of NZB Sales claimed six trophies at Hong Kong’s 2019-20 Champion Awards.

New Zealand

• NZ-sourced horses continue to dominate the domestic racing scene, claiming 92% of all G1 titles in NZ in the last five seasons.
• NZB graduates have won the last four consecutive G1 NZ Oaks and six of the last seven G1 NZ 2000 Guineas.
• Champion mare Melody Belle (NZ) has claimed ten Group One titles during the past three seasons alone and A$3.3 million in prizemoney - 62 times her original Karaka purchase price.

Further Afield

• 51% of all stakes races in Singapore from 2016 - 2020 have been won by NZ-bred or sold horses.
• NZ-breds have claimed 43 blacktype races in Singapore in the past five seasons, more than any other country.
• In the past five seasons horses bred or sold in NZ claimed 30% of all Listed races in Macau.
• In the 2019 season, NZ-breds claimed more than half of all blacktype races in Malaysia.

New Zealand has proven to be a world-class nursery for young thoroughbred talent.

Grown on nutrient-rich soils and in temperate climates, New Zealand-reared youngsters have repeatedly gone on to fly the flag with distinction throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Bloodstock Sales Manager Danny Rolston knows the residual value of NZB Ready to Run Sale graduates.

“Golden Sixty’s clean sweep of the Hong Kong 4YO Series this season continued what has been total domination by New Zealand-sourced horses in Hong Kong’s most coveted race, the Derby.”

“Following in the footsteps of horses like Werther, Ambitious Dragon and Vengeance of Rain who all went on to take Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year honours.

“The statistics paint a clear picture, if you want to win races like the Hong Kong Derby you need to shop at Karaka,” Rolston said.

Across the Tasman, Director of Business Development Mike Kneebone knows first-hand the powerful dominance New Zealand horses exert on Australian turf.

“Our graduates have had another huge season in Australia, with the likes of Kolding, Melody Belle, Miami Bound, Te Akau Shark and Probabeel all ruling the Group One racing scene.

“The quality found in an NZB catalogue reinforces Karaka’s status as the best value-for-money sale in the entire world,” he said.

This year’s Ready to Run Sale will be held at Karaka on 18 and 19 November, with Breeze Ups conducted at Te Rapa Racecourse on 12 and 13 October. The catalogue will be out in mid-September.

Karaka 2021 is set to showcase the very best New Zealand thoroughbreds, with Book 1 commencing selling across three days from Sunday 24 January, followed immediately by Book 2 on Wednesday 27 through to Friday 29 January.

Heralding the week will be the pinnacle of New Zealand racing in the Karaka Million Twilight Meeting at Ellerslie on Saturday 23 January, host to the two $1 million races for graduates of the Sale.

With the upgrade to ultra-fast fibre at Karaka, NZB is now in the position to offer online bidding services for registered buyers who are unable to physically attend their auctions. More details about the new online bidding platform’s functionality and how to register will be made available to buyers in due course.

Read More...