Karaka 2009 Starts Monday
23 January 2009
The 2009 National Yearling Sale at Karaka starts on Monday with over 1700 yearlings set to go under the hammer in the week long selling extravaganza.
The dates are set as follows with selling beginning at 11am each day:
Premier Sale: 26 & 27 January
Select Sale: 28, 29, & 30 January
Festival Sale: 1 & 2 February
The sale will be streamed live on the NZB website each day.
The $1,000,000 Karaka Million twilight race meeting will welcome all guests to Karaka with an outstanding race-card on the program as well as the finest Kiwi hospitality, food, and beverages on offer to make it a welcome like no other.
The catalogue assembled for Karaka 2009 is statistically the best the NZB has ever put together and by all accounts there is strength and depth to the quality of physical types on offer.
Karaka 2009 will present the first crop yearlings of twenty-four stallions including Benicio, Bradbury's Luck, Castledale, Coat's Choice, Domesday, Dubawi, Duelled, Falkirk, Foreplay, Gold Centre, Jet Spur, Keeninsky, Keep the Faith, Mr. Nancho, Oratorio, Snippetson, Snitzel, Southern Image, St Reims, Starcraft, Storming Home, Stratum, Undoubtedly, and Zenno Rob Roy.
Proven local and international sires are also represented including the biggest offering of Zabeel, O'Reilly, Pins, Pentire, Stravinsky, and Volksraad progeny available anywhere in the world in 2009.
There are 23 Group 1 winning dams represented by progeny in the sale, as well as 42 siblings of Group 1 winners, but there have been some significant updates to affect this figure since the catalogue went to print.
Tell A Tale (Tale of the Cat - Cheeky Veronica, by Sir Tristram) stamped himself as the best three-year-old in New Zealand when winning the Group 1 $1,000,000 NZ 2000 Guineas and gave Ainsley Downs Stud a huge thrill as they present his half brother by Snippetson at Lot 407.
Last weekend's Group 1 $1,000,000 Telegraph Handicap won in outstanding style by Mufhasa (Pentire - Sheila Cheval, by Mi Preferido) who staved off challengers from as far away as Australia, provided Rich Hill Stud's Lot 225, a full brother to Mufhasa, with a valuable boost just nine days from entering the Karaka ring.
Green Birdie (Catbird) nearly pulled off the Group 1 win update for Whakanui Stud's Lot 142, a three-quarter sister by Exceed and Excel from Mrs Squillionaire (Last Tycoon). Green Birdie placed a close second behind Scintillation in the Group 1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Sprint (1200m) and stamped his class in the process.
Also with a significant updates is Cambridge Stud's Lot 77, a filly by Viking Ruler, her updates including a Group 2 Turffontein Dingaans win by half-brother Oracy (Zabeel) plus her half-sister The Lady's (Stravinsky) two Listed victories.
Puttanesca (Bertolini) provided a Group 2 ARC Royal Stakes update to her sibling Lot 879, a filly by One Cool Cat from Seaton Park. Windsor Park Stud's Lot 571, also received a Group 2 update just under week ago when her full-brother King's Ransom won the Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes.
King's Ransom of course lines up in Sunday's $1,000,000 Karaka Million (1200m) which could provide a further boost to his sister at Karaka. Other Karaka Million entrants with siblings at Karaka 2009 include Belle De Jeu at Lot 125, Katie Lee at Lot 129, Te Akau Rose at Lot 276, Veldt at Lot 577, Rachine at Lot 647, Corsage at Lot 843, Mexican Rose at Lot 1124, and The Toothfairy at Lot 1451.