Entries Due for Karaka 2014

New Zealand Bloodstock is calling for entries for its 88th National Yearling Sales Series and invites breeders to send in their yearling nominations by the end of today - Monday 8 July.

The 2014 National Yearling Sales Series will be held at Karaka from Monday 27 January to Monday 3 February and is the pinnacle of New Zealand’s thoroughbred sale calendar, with some of the finest yearlings available in Australasia to be offered to a truly international line-up of buyers.

With Group 1 racing in New Zealand and Australia officially completed for the season, New Zealand can look back at what has been an excellent season across the Tasman ahead of Karaka 2014 with eight individual Australian Group 1 winners bred in New Zealand.

Together these horses – Ocean Park, It’s a Dundeel, Norzita, Solzhenitsyn, Gondokoro, Ferlax, Shamexpress and Sacred Falls – have won a total of 14 Australian Group 1 races this season including the Cox Plate, Doncaster Mile, Australian Guineas and Sydney’s Three-Year-Old Triple Crown.

Premier Sale: 27 & 28 January

The Karaka Premier Sale gives your yearlings exposure to the industry’s leading owners, trainers, agents and syndicators from this part of the world with international buyers spending $54.5 million at the Sale earlier this year – 70% of the Sale’s aggregate.

Leading buyers including David Ellis, Peter Moody, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Bart Cummings, Chris Waller, Duncan Ramage, Tom Magnier, Gai Waterhouse, and James Bester spent over $16 million at the Premier Sale alone earlier this year.

With a number of New Zealand broodmares being bred in Australia, and some savvy placement of yearlings by both New Zealand and Australian owners, the Karaka catalogues have the distinction of offering some of Australia’s hottest bloodlines to complement the distinguished kiwi bred line-up.

Last year’s Karaka sale-topper was in that mould, the $1,975,000 Fastnet Rock colt from Celebria, who was sent to New Zealand from Australia to Gordon Cunningham’s Curraghmore Stud to be sold at Karaka.

"Our sale-topping colt at Karaka 2013 was a standout for sure,” commented Cunningham. “I'm certain he sold as well or perhaps better here than he may have done elsewhere.

“That colt was just one of three by Fastnet Rock that Australian breeder John Camilleri sent to me. He sold well but likewise the two fillies sold really well also so John was delighted and it was a complete result all round.”

Entry fees for the NZB Premier Sale are NZ$1,800 + GST per yearling.

Select Sale: 29 – 31 January

The Select Sale has transformed into a leading sale in its own right and every year sees a good mix of local and international buyers active during the three days due to its success on the track and the quality of yearlings this Sale continues to offer every year.

In the last two years, international buyers have spent almost $20 million at the Select session – 50% of the Sale’s 2012 and 2013 aggregate, an indication of the level of support the Sale now attains from international buyers.

In addition, local buyers are starting to regain their standing in the market with their 2013 Select Sale spend up 11% on 2012 to just under $10 million.

A look at recent Group 1 winning graduates from the Sale – not limited to Ocean Park, Ferlax, Ambitious Dragon, (King) Mufhasa, Rollout the Carpet, Choice Bro, Able One, Historian, Quintessential and Sangster – shows why the Sale is considered a success in its own right.

Entry fees for the NZB Select Sale are $1,100 + GST per yearling.

Festival Sale: 2 & 3 February

The Karaka Festival Sale is the final session of Sales week and has also had a successful season on the track with leading performers including Single Currency (Bachelor Duke), Fay Fay (Falkirk), Zennista (Zeno Rob Roy) Amberio (Captain Rio), Luck of Smiling (Elusive City), You Think So (Golan) and more all representing the Sale in stakes races in Australasia and Asia.

The Festival Sale celebrated a new record price earlier this year with the colt by the first season sire Swiss Ace from Eclaircissement making $125,000.

Entry fees for the NZB Festival Sale are $600 + GST per yearling.

South Island Session: 13 April

As of next year, the annual South Island Sale will become the ‘South Island Session’ of the National Yearling Sales Series, moving to April and featuring yearlings rather than two-year-olds for the first time in its 60-year history. Entries for the South Island Sale are open now and will remain open until 10 February 2014. The Sale will also retain its mixed bloodstock session.

Entry fees for the South Island Session are $600 + GST per yearling.

For entry forms for KARAKA 2014 contact Entries Co-ordinator Mary Jane Harvey at (09) 2980055 or by email to reception@nzb.co.nz.