In-Demand Stallions Feature in NZB Weanling Sale Catalogue

The catalogue for the 2025 NZB National Weanling Sale features the progeny of a broad range of sires, from proven topliners to exciting up-and-comers as well as the brand-new kid on the block, Profondo.

The National Weanling Sale will be staged at Karaka on Thursday 26 June, with a catalogue of 134 lots plus supplementaries to be announced. Among those 134 lots are the progeny of 51 different stallions.

 

Proven stars

SAVABEEL

Freshly inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame, Waikato Stud’s legendary Savabeel has been New Zealand’s champion sire in nine of the last 10 seasons and has produced 35 Group One winners. He has won the Centaine Award (combined progeny earnings worldwide) and Dewar Award (combined Australian and New Zealand progeny earnings) nine times each.

Weanlings by Savabeel have been a relatively rare commodity at Karaka in recent years – only nine have gone under the hammer at this sale since 2017. Those previous offerings include Jedibeel (NZ), who was a $35,000 purchase in 2020 and has gone on to Group Two success in Sydney this season and more than A$900,000 in prize-money. The 2025 catalogue features four Savabeel colts.

• Lot 25 is out of the So You Think mare Meghan (NZ), who won two races and placed in the Group Three Sunline Vase (2100m). Meghan is a half-sister to fellow Group performers Devildom (NZ) (Almanzor) and Reevederci (Reliable Man).
• Lot 52 is out of the four-race winner Rosetta (NZ) (Pins), whose half-sister All About Magic (NZ) (Showcasing) was a dual stakes winner. This is the famous family of fourth dam Soliloquy (NZ) (Sobig), with a pedigree page featuring Group One performers such as Solveig (NZ) (Imposing), Gallic (NZ) (Zabeel), Cross Swords (NZ) (Grosvenor), Soltanto (NZ) (Tights), Filey (NZ) (O’Reilly) and Culminate (NZ) (Elnadim).
• Lot 137 has the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m) winner and Group Two Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) placegetter Sassy ‘N’ Smart (Smart Missile) as his second dam.
• Lot 141 is a three-quarter-brother to the Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2400m) and Hong Kong Derby (2000m) runner-up Victory Magic (NZ) (Savabeel).

 

PROISIR

Rich Hill Stud’s Proisir burst on the scene with his breakthrough 2022-23 season, where he was champion New Zealand sire and was represented by Group One winners Prowess (NZ), Legarto (NZ), Levante (NZ), Pier (NZ) and Dark Destroyer (NZ).

Now the sire of 225 winners from 359 runners including 23 individual stakes winners, Proisir is well established in the top echelon of New Zealand sires. His Karaka Book 1 yearlings have averaged $274,444 and $233,171 respectively in the last two years, and two of his yearling fillies have broken the million-dollar mark.

Proisir’s seven weanlings averaged $90,286 at this sale last year. Four of them were sold again at Karaka 2025 earlier this year for an average price of $200,000.

Proisir’s only weanling in this year’s catalogue is Lot 11. Offered by Hallmark Stud – the vendors of one of the stallion’s very best daughters, Prowess – this filly is the first foal out of the seven-race winner and Group Two Cal Isuzu Stakes (1600m) placegetter Le Sablier (NZ) (Tavistock).

 

PER INCANTO

Little Avondale’s Per Incanto boasts a lifetime total of 33 individual stakes winners, nine of them at Group One level.

He is having a career-best season, sitting in 13th place on the Australian sires’ premiership with total progeny earnings of over A$11m. His star performers on that side of the Tasman this season include Group One All Aged Stakes (1400m) and Oakleigh Plate (1100m) hero Jimmysstar (NZ), Group One George Ryder Stakes (1500m) winner Gringotts (NZ), and Group Two winners Belclare (NZ), Evaporate (NZ) and Marble Arch (NZ). Evaporate also placed in the Group One Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and in the inaugural $3.5m NZB Kiwi (1500m) at Ellerslie.

Two of Per Incanto’s progeny will be offered during the National Weanling Sale.

• Lot 13 is a colt out of London Express (NZ) (Shamexpress), who won seven races including the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m). She also placed in the Group Three NZB Ready to Run Sale Trainers Series Stakes (1400m) and two other Listed races. This is her second foal. Her first foal is a yearling.
• Lot 91 is a filly out of the Group Three Lowland Stakes (2100m) placegetter Amazing Lady (NZ) (O’Reilly). Herself the dam of the winner Benbulben (NZ) (Savabeel), Amazing Lady is a half-sister to the stakes winners Glamorous Girl (NZ) (Thorn Park) and So Elusive (NZ) (Elusive City).

 

ALMANZOR

Cambridge Stud stallion Almanzor sits in third place on the New Zealand premiership this season, having sired the winners of two of the three time-honoured Kiwi staying features – Auckland Cup (3200m) winner Trav (NZ) and New Zealand Cup (3200m) winner Mehzebeen (NZ).

His high-class daughter Qali Al Farrasha (NZ) was a placegetter in the Group One New Zealand Oaks (2400m) as a three-year-old last season and has continued to perform at the highest level at four, placing in the Group One Thorndon Mile (1600m), Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) and New Zealand Stakes (2000m).

Across the Tasman, Almanzor has an exciting new prospect in the form of Rise At Dawn (NZ). The winner of eight of his 15 starts including the Listed Heatherlie Handicap (1700m) and Elms Handicap (1400m), the four-year-old was a last-start fourth placegetter in the famous A$4m Group One Doncaster Mile (1600m).

The National Weanling Sale catalogue features six weanlings by Almanzor.

• Lot 44 is a half-brother to Group Three winner Pop Star Princess (NZ) (Makfi) and the Listed-placed Queen Of Zealand (NZ) (Savabeel). Their dam Queen Of Pop (NZ) (Pins) placed at Group Two level.
• The filly catalogued as Lot 46 is the first foal out of four-race winner and Group Three placegetter Raced Evens (Zoffany). Second dam Luscilla (NZ) (Entrepreneur) is a stakes-winning half-sister to the elite sprinter and successful sire Falkirk (NZ) (Tale Of The Cat).
• Lot 119 is a full or half-sister to three winners including the Group Three-placed Manchu (Redoute’s Choice).

 

SHOCKING

At Te Rapa in February, Shocking achieved a highly unusual feat – siring two individual Group One winners, over 1400 and 2000 metres, within the space of an hour and 10 minutes. El Vencedor (NZ) provided the first leg of that double in the Group One Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at 3.28pm, and Here To Shock (NZ) followed suit in the Group One BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at 4.38pm.

Rich Hill Stud’s Shocking is another stallion in career-best form this season, sitting in fourth on the New Zealand premiership with total progeny earnings of $2.63m. El Vencedor has provided $1.46m of that with his three stirring Group One triumphs, backed up by fellow Group winners Here To Shock and Kopua (NZ).

Four weanlings by Shocking will go through the Karaka sale ring next month.

• Lot 18 is a three-quarter brother to Formidable (NZ) (Shocking), who was a Listed winner in New Zealand as a three-year-old and went on to win six races in Hong Kong under the name Tianchi Monster. This colt’s dam is an unraced Proisir mare.
• Lot 134 is out of a half-sister to Hong Kong Group One performer Real Specialist (NZ) (Storming Home).

 

Up-and-comers

SUPER SETH

Waikato Stud’s Super Seth was champion New Zealand first-season sire last season and has the second-season title in safe keeping in 2024-25. Himself the winner of the Group One Caulfield Guineas (1600m), Super Seth has made such a spectacular start at stud that his service fee has soared to $75,000 for 2025.

Super Seth made a massive statement with his first three Group One winners within the month of March this year – Feroce (NZ) in the Australian Guineas (1600m), Linebacker (NZ) in the Randwick Guineas (1600m) and La Dorada (NZ) in the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m). La Dorada also won the $1m Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m).

Overall, Super Seth’s two crops of racing age have produced 40 winners from 79 runners. There have been six individual stakes winners.

Super Seth is on a meteoric rise, and buyers will have access to six of his weanlings at the National Weanling Sale.

• Lot 64 is a colt out of a half-sister to the Group One New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Asterix (NZ) (Tavistock). This is her second foal. Her first foal is a yearling.
• Lot 123 is a filly out of the winning I Am Invincible mare Eva Daniela. This filly comes from the high-class family of Group One stars such as Growing Empire (Zoustar), Il Quello Veloce (NZ) (Captain Rio), Terravista (NZ) (Captain Rio), Tiger Tees (NZ) (Dubawi) and Ball Of Muscle (Dubawi). This is Eva Daniela’s second foal. Her first foal, a colt by Churchill, sold for $150,000 at Karaka 2025.

 

HELLO YOUMZAIN

Cambridge Stud’s Hello Youmzain has rapidly racked up seven black-type performers in the northern hemisphere, headed by the Group Three winner and Group One-placed Misunderstood, along with the Group Three winner and Group Two-placed Electrolyte.

His first crop of southern hemisphere two-year-olds are showing promising signs too, producing five individual winners headed by the Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) winner Lucy In The Sky (NZ). Another exciting talent, the Cambridge Stud filly Remala (NZ), was a brilliant winner at Ellerslie on Boxing Day in her only start.

Hello Youmzain will be represented by four progeny in the National Weanling Sale. A notable member of that quartet is Lot 78, a filly whose dam Tinkalicious (NZ) (Nadeem) won six races headed by the Group Three Cuddle Stakes (1600m).

 

ARDROSSAN

Impressive racetrack results have seen the service fee for Waikato Stud’s Ardrossan rise from $6000 to $20,000, while his yearlings have sold for up to $390,000 at Karaka.

A Group Three-winning sprinter and half-brother to Caulfield Cup (2400m) hero Incentivise (Shamus Award), Ardrossan is the sire of 31 winners from just 73 runners. Six of his progeny have won at stakes level, including the Group winners Yaldi (NZ), Beau Dazzler (NZ) and Ardalio (NZ).

The National Weanling Sale catalogue features eight of Ardrossan’s progeny.

• Lot 6 is out of the three-race winner Kumari (NZ) (Zabeel), whose four winners from five foals to race include the Group Three Epona Stakes (1900m) winner and Group Two Chairman’s Handicap (2600m) placegetter Semari (NZ) (Sebring). Kumari is a full-sister to Group Three winner Bhandara (NZ) (Zabeel) and half-sister to Group One winner Sharvasti (NZ) (Montjeu) and Group Three winner Shastri (NZ) (Stravinsky).
• Lot 122 is a filly out of the Savabeel mare Eva Chiara (NZ), who was a winner over 1200 metres. This filly, the second foal out of the mare, is closely related to Group One winners Legs (NZ) (Pins), Xtravagant (NZ) (Pentire), Guyno (NZ) (O’Reilly), Sixty Seconds (NZ) (Centaine) and Tiptronic (NZ) (O’Reilly).

 

SWORD OF STATE

Cambridge Stud stallion Sword Of State was New Zealand’s champion two-year-old in 2020-21. He won four of his five starts in that campaign for Te Akau Racing, including scintillating victories in the Group One Sistema Stakes (1200m) and Group Three Matamata Slipper (1200m) by a combined margin of 10 lengths.

Sword Of State added another two Group Three wins to his CV as a three-year-old, comfortably beating subsequent 10-time Group One winner Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) in the Almanzor Trophy (1200m) and then defeating older sprinters in the King’s Plate (1200m). He crossed the Tasman and ran second in a photo finish to the Group Three Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) before an elevated temperature brought a premature end to his final racing campaign.

From a total of 11 starts, Sword Of State had two wins and two placings and earned more than $330,000 in stakes. His first crop of yearlings were enthusiastically received at Karaka earlier this year, averaging $201,500 and selling for up to $540,000.

Sword Of State features prominently in the National Weanling Sale catalogue with 12 entries.

• Lot 36 is a filly out of O’Carol (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle), whose two foals to race are both winners and both Group performers. Sedaka (NZ) (Savabeel) has won over 1400 metres and placed in the Group Two Royal Stakes (2000m) and Group Three Sunline Vase (2100m). Suit Yourself (NZ) (Savile Row) has won twice this season and finished fourth in the Group Two Auckland Guineas (1400m).
• Lot 69 is out of a Street Cry half-sister to the triple Group One-winning Australian sprinter Sunlight (Zoustar). Along with that exceptional mare, second dam Solar Charged (Charge Forward) has also produced fellow Group winners Sisstar (Zoustar) and Clean Energy (Zoustar).
• Lot 129 is a half-brother to this season’s Group Three Easter Cup (2000m) winner Torranzino (NZ) (Tarzino), while dam Goldilicious (NZ) (Helmet) is a half-sister to the Group Three winner and multiple Group Two placegetter Showbeel (NZ) (Savabeel).

 

First-season sire: Profondo

Secured for the New Zealand industry by a partnership headed by Windsor Park Stud and Mapperley Stud, Profondo is an exciting new addition to Kiwi stallion ranks.

Bought for A$1.9 million as a yearling, Profondo is by the globally influential Japanese sire Deep Impact out of the Group-winning mare Honesty Prevails (Redoute’s Choice). Profondo showed his class on the racetrack with victory in the Group One Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick and a third placing behind Anamoe (Street Boss) and Fangirl (Sebring) in the Group One Winx Stakes (1400m).

Standing at Windsor Park for a service fee of $17,500, Profondo served capacity books of 177 and 173 mares in his first two seasons at stud. The National Weanling Sale catalogue features nine of his first-crop progeny.

• Lot 12 is closely related to Group One-winning sprinters Loving Gaby (I Am Invincible) and Velocitea (NZ) (Volksraad).
• Lot 38 is out of the stakes-performed mare Ohio Showgirl (NZ) (Showcasing).
• Lot 101 is a filly out of the Listed winner Brix (NZ) (Sweynesse).
• Lot 116 is a half-sister to two winners including the Group Three Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) winner Denby Road (NZ) (Shamexpress). Their dam Dwandaofu (NZ) (Align) is a half-sister to multiple Group One winner and sire Turn Me Loose (NZ) (Iffraaj).

All weanlings offered are eligible to be nominated for NZB’s lucrative Karaka Millions Series. Graduates can compete for a share in the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), followed by the $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) as well as the new $1m Mega Maiden Series comprising of 40 non-Saturday maiden races located throughout New Zealand.

Weanlings entered in the Sale will be available for inspections at the on-farm parades, due to take place this week, and on-site at Karaka Sales Centre, with NZB agents available to inspect on behalf of buyers.

 The National Weanling Sale will be held on the same date as the National Standardbred Weanling Sale at Karaka on Thursday 26 June. The joint sale date will see the thoroughbred session get underway from 10am (NZT), with the standardbred weanlings following from 2.30pm.

Buyers wishing to attend are able to book their stays at the DoubleTree by Hilton Karaka hotel onsite here or by emailing travel@nzb.co.nz for assistance.

View the 134-lot catalogue here. The catalogue can also be viewed on the Equineline app for iPads/tablets, or the Thoroughworks mobile app.

For more information, contact Bloodstock Sales Manager Kane Jones on +64 27 274 4985 or email kane.jones@nzb.co.nz, Sales Representative Patrick Cunningham on +64 21 512 466 or Patrick.Cunningham@nzb.co.nz or Andrew Buick at +64 27 555 0640 or email Andrew.Buick@nzb.co.nz.