A Century of National Yearling Sales Success: Queensland Derby

Maison Louis (NZ) (Super Seth) reigned supreme in this month’s A$1m Group One Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm, continuing a decades-long tradition of Derby excellence by three-year-olds sourced from New Zealand.

NZB will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Yearling Sales at Karaka next January. That century of sales has produced countless Derby and Oaks stars across Australasia, including 17 winners of the Queensland Derby.

Incredibly, 10 of those Queensland Derby-winning graduates have come since 2005, including all of the last five in a row. Karaka graduates swept the trifecta in this year’s race, and they filled five of the top six placings.

The average purchase price among those 10 Derby-winning graduates in the last two decades is $108,888. This year’s winner Maison Louis was the highest-priced at $250,000, while 2009 winner Court Ruler (NZ) (Viking Ruler) was bought for just $30,000.

There have been numerous notable performers among the 17 Queensland Derby winners to have come out of New Zealand’s flagship yearling sale.

 

1933: WAIKARE (NZ)

Bought for 650 guineas, Waikare (NZ) (Limond) was the highest-priced lot at the 1932 New Zealand National Yearling Sale. In addition to his Derby victory in Brisbane, he also won the Metropolitan Handicap (2600m) in Sydney.

 

1957: TULLOCH (NZ)

Tulloch (NZ) (Khorassan) was offered by Trelawney Stud at the 1956 Sale, where he was bought by Hall of Fame trainer T. J. (Tommy) Smith for 750 guineas.

In a 53-start career, Tulloch recorded 36 wins, 12 seconds and four thirds. He won the AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) as a two-year-old, then added a whopping 14 wins as a three-year-old including the Queensland Derby, VRC Derby (2500m) and Australian Derby (2400m), along with the Warwick Stakes (1400m), the Rosehill Guineas (2000m), the Caulfield Guineas (1600m), the Caulfield Cup (2400m), the VRC St Leger (2800m), the Rawson (now Ranvet) Stakes (2000m), the Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m), the AJC St Leger (2800m), the All Aged Stakes (1600m) and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2800m). Incredibly, 11 of those races now hold Group One status.

Tulloch went on to win another two editions of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes as an older horse, along with other prestigious weight-for-age features such as the Cox Plate (2040m), George Main Stakes (1600m) and Mackinnon Stakes (2000m).

Tulloch was among the inaugural inductees into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, and he was also inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame.

 

1959: TRAVEL BOY (NZ)

Another Tommy Smith purchase was Travel Boy (NZ) (Marco Polo), who he bought for 1,700 guineas just a couple of years after Tulloch.

As well as his 1959 Queensland Derby success, Travel Boy also won the VRC Derby (2500m), VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Ascot Vale Stakes (1200m) and Craven Plate (2000m).

 

1973: ANALIE (NZ)

Victories by fillies in the Queensland Derby have been relatively rare – there have been only 15 of them since 1900, and just three since 1992.

Among the most notable fillies to win the Derby was Analie (NZ) (Sovereign Edition), who was Australia’s champion three-year-old filly in 1972-73. Bought for only $7,000 from the New Zealand National Yearling Sale, she went on to win the Queensland Derby as well as the AJC Oaks (2400m), Doncaster Handicap (1600m), Metropolitan Handicap (2600m), Queensland Oaks (2400m), Craven Plate (2000m), Canterbury Cup (2000m) and STC Cup (2400m).

 

1978: LEFROY (NZ)

Bought for $7,000 from the National Yearling Sale, Lefroy earned more than A$255,000 from a 47-race career that produced 13 wins, eight seconds and seven thirds.

He won the Queensland Derby, Turnbull Stakes (2000m), Rosehill Guineas (2000m), Tulloch Stakes (1850m) and Grand Prix Stakes (2200m). His placings included the VRC Derby (2500m), Caulfield Stakes (2000m) and CF Orr Stakes (1400m).

 

2005: LACHLAN RIVER (NZ)

The 2005 Queensland Derby winner Lachlan River (NZ) (Desert King) was a $40,000 purchase from Waikato Stud’s draft at Karaka 2003. He earned A$693,800 on the racetrack, recording five wins and five placings from a 34-start career.

Lachlan River was bought by long-time NZB client John Morrissey, acting on behalf of Gundaroo Stud’s Len Hoyle. A prominent buyer of New Zealand thoroughbreds, Hoyle also won the 1999 Queensland Derby with Camarena (NZ) (Danehill).

 

2007: EMPIRES CHOICE (NZ)

The legendary Bart Cummings paid $210,000 to buy Empires Choice (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice) from the 2005 Premier Sale draft of Whakanui Stud. Empires Choice went on to have 25 starts for three wins and eight placings, earning A$895,075.

Empires Choice provided Cummings with the 30th Derby win of his astonishing training career.

 

2009: COURT RULER (NZ)

New Zealand Hall of Fame inductee John Wheeler holds a special place in the heart of Queensland racing through the deeds of his champion racehorse Rough Habit (NZ) (Roughcast), who himself won the Queensland Derby in 1990. Wheeler was back in the Brisbane spotlight again in 2009 with Court Ruler (NZ) (Viking Ruler), who he bought for just $30,000 from the 2007 Select Sale at Karaka.

The Queensland Derby was the highlight of a 30-race career for Court Ruler, who was also a Group Three winner in New Zealand and earned more than $528,000.

 

2012: BRAMBLES (NZ)

Waikato Stud offered Brambles (NZ) (Savabeel) at the 2010 Premier Sale, where he was bought by Moody Racing for $100,000.

An early Australian headliner in Savabeel’s rise to greatness, Brambles had 20 starts for six wins, six placings and A$870,258 in stakes.

 

2021: KUKERACHA (NZ)

Another Waikato Stud graduate, Kukeracha (NZ) (Night Of Thunder) was a $130,000 purchase by Mulcaster Bloodstock from Book 1 of Karaka 2019. His 42-start career produced five wins, nine placings and more than A$1.07m.

 

2022: PINARELLO (NZ)

Cambridge Stud homebred Pinarello (NZ) (Tavistock) was offered in Book 1 of 2020, where he failed to meet his $300,000 reserve. He carried the Cambridge Stud colours to four wins and two placings in a 12-start career, earning more than $773,000. His Derby win was a remarkable performance after jumping from gate 17 in an 18-horse field.

 

2023: KOVALICA (NZ)

Curraghmore offered Kovalica (NZ) (Ocean Park) in Book 1 of Karaka 2021, where Mulcaster Bloodstock secured him for $110,000. He has turned that into more than A$3.4m in stakes, recording six wins and eight placings from a 29-start career to date.

Kovalica has recorded a string of big-race placings in recent times, including two editions of the Group One Doomben Cup (2000m), plus a runner-up finish in the Group One Epsom Handicap (1600m), commendable fifths in the A$5m Group One King Charles III Stakes (1600m) and Group One Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) and a sixth in the Cox Plate (2040m).

 

2024: WARMONGER (NZ)

Perhaps the most spectacular Queensland Derby winner on this list is Warmonger (NZ) (War Decree), who blew his rivals off the track with a 10-length winning margin in 2024.

Warmonger was offered by breeder Kevin Hickman’s Valachi Downs in Book 2 of Karaka 2022, where Prima Park and Bevan Smith Bloodstock bought him for $75,000. He was later re-offered at the Ready to Run Sale, where he sold for $165,000. Warmonger has had 16 starts for three wins, four placings and A$1.13m in prize-money.

 

2025: MAISON LOUIS (NZ)

This year’s Derby hero Maison Louis (NZ) became the fourth Group One winner for Waikato Stud’s rising megastar Super Seth, who has sired only two crops of racing age. Three of those Group One winners have been in three-year-old classics in Australia in the last three months – Maison Louis in the Queensland Derby, Feroce (NZ) in the Australian Guineas (1600m) and Linebacker (NZ) in the Randwick Guineas (1600m).

Maison Louis was bred by Pencarrow Stud and comes from one of their finest families, being closely related to the likes of Ethereal (NZ) (Rhythm), Darci Brahma (NZ) (Danehill), Grand Echezeaux (NZ) (Zabeel), Burgundy (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice) and countless other black-type performers.

Pencarrow offered Maison Louis in Book 1 of Karaka 2023, where syndicators Go Racing bought him for $250,000. From just seven starts so far, Maison Louis has recorded four wins and a placing and has earned A$679,750.

 

Karaka 2026 will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from 25-29 January, the iconic week on the international sales calendar marking the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand.

As recently announced, a new sales format will be launched at Karaka 2026, ensuring that the quality of the 100th National Yearling Sales catalogue is in line with the momentous occasion.

Book 1 will be conducted across two full days, composed of approximately 580 horses. Book 2 will immediately follow with a further 290 yearlings the next day. A third session has also been re-introduced with the Karaka Summer Sale taking place on the Thursday, cataloguing up to 200 yearlings.