Karaka 2024 Shines Spotlight on Superstar Sires

The pages of the Karaka 2024 catalogues are filled with the biggest names among stallion ranks on both sides of the Tasman.

Over 100 different sires will be represented during the Book 1 and Book 2 sessions, including premiership champions, award winners, and prolific producers of top-class racetrack performers.

 

New Zealand-based sires

SAVABEEL

Waikato Stud’s Savabeel has a well-earned reputation as the king of Karaka.

He has dominated New Zealand’s flagship yearling sale in recent seasons, earning Book 1 averages of $233,710 in 2023, $307,286 in 2022, $216,724 in 2021, $247,241 in 2020, $297,021 in 2019 and $261,066 in 2018.

Savabeel has sired three million-dollar yearlings at Karaka, along with another seven who have fetched $800,000 or more.

Some of his very best progeny have been secured from the Karaka sale ring, including Group One stars such as Probabeel (NZ), Lucia Valentina (NZ), Atishu (NZ), Sangster (NZ), Scarlett Lady (NZ), Savvy Coup (NZ), Mo’unga (NZ), Diademe (NZ), Cool Aza Beel (NZ), Noverre (NZ) and promising sire Embellish (NZ).

Savabeel’s accomplishments speak for themselves – eight New Zealand stallion premierships, seven Dewar Awards for combined progeny earnings in New Zealand and Australia, and the last eight consecutive Centaine Awards for total progeny earnings worldwide.

Savabeel’s 137 individual stakes winners include 32 at Group One level. During 2023 alone, he has been represented by Atishu in the Champions Stakes (2000m) and Queen of the Turf Stakes (1600m), I Wish I Win (NZ) in the TJ Smith Stakes (1200m), Major Beel (NZ) in the Australian Derby (2400m), and Skew Wiff (NZ) in the Tarzino Trophy (1400m).

Buyers will have access to 57 Savabeel yearlings in Book 1 of Karaka 2024, including:

• Lots 25 and 639 are both three-quarter siblings to the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) winner Hasahalo (NZ) (Savabeel).
• Lot 358 is a half-brother to multiple Group One performer Young Werther (NZ) (Tavistock), along with stakes placegetters Romantic Lady (NZ) (Power) and About Time (NZ) (American Pharoah).
• Lot 401 is a colt out of Shez Sinsational (NZ) (Ekraar), who won 12 races including four at Group One level. Shez Sinsational has followed up those racetrack heroics with three winners from her four foals to race so far, including the Group Two winner and Group One-placed Sinarahma (NZ) (Darci Brahma), along with the Group Three winner and Group One-placed House Of Cartier (Alamosa).
• Lot 479 is a daughter of the Group One-winning mare Thee Auld Floozie (NZ) (Mastercraftsman), whose daughter Just A Floozie (NZ) (I Am Invincible) was a highly impressive winner of her only start as a two-year-old last season, beating multiple subsequent black-type performers including Group One winner Molly Bloom (NZ) (Ace High).
• Lot 549 is a Waikato Stud filly whose pedigree page is soaked in high-quality black type. Close relatives include Group One winners Espiona (Extreme Choice), Glamour Puss (NZ) (Tale Of The Cat), Vision And Power (NZ) (Carnegie) and Steps In Time (Danehill Dancer).
• Lot 668 is a full-brother to the Group One Sistema Stakes (1200m) and $1m Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) winner Cool Aza Beel (NZ) (Savabeel), who now stands at Newhaven Park in New South Wales and has some of his first-crop yearlings going through the ring during Karaka 2024.

PROISIR

Savabeel’s eight-year reign as New Zealand’s champion sire was sensationally snapped in 2022-23 by Proisir.

The Rich Hill Stud stallion had an unprecedented season. His 47 winners from 89 runners on home soil included eight individual stakes winners, five of them at Group One level, and he became the first sire to ever reach $4m in total progeny earnings for a single New Zealand season.

His headline acts were a pair of exceptional fillies – both Karaka graduates – who won Group One races in both New Zealand and Australia.

Legarto (NZ) was a $90,000 purchase from Book 2 of Karaka 2021, and she earned more than $1m from a six-start season as a three-year-old that produced five wins. She was a dominant five-length winner of the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), then headed to Melbourne and became the first New Zealand-trained winner of the Group One Australian Guineas (1600m).

Prowess (NZ) was bought for $230,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2021. Her three-year-old season included five consecutive black-type victories between January and March – the Group Two Auckland Guineas (1600m), $1m Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m), Group Two David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m), Group One Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2050m), and the Group One Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) in Sydney. She added another Australian feature this spring in the Group Two Crystal Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley, lifting her career earnings past $1.6m.

Last season’s other Group One successes came from Dark Destroyer (NZ), Pier (NZ) and Legarto (NZ).

Buyers were quick to respond to Proisir’s remarkable run, snapping up all of his 19 yearlings in Book 1 of Karaka 2023 last January for a total of $3.59m and an average price of $188,947.

Karaka 2024 will showcase 35 of Proisir’s progeny in Book 1, with another three in the Book 2 session.

• Lot 21 is out of Donna Marie (NZ) (Don Eduardo), which makes her a full-sister to the top-class Prowess.
• Lot 187 is a colt out of Leigh Valley (NZ) (Bianconi), who won at Group Three level and has produced four winners including Group One winner Valley Girl (NZ) (Mastercraftsman).
• Lot 389 is closely related to the Group One winners Kovalica (NZ) (Ocean Park), (King) Mufhasa (NZ) (Pentire) and (The) Bostonian (NZ) (Jimmy Choux), along with a pair of Group-winning three-year-olds from last season – Sacred Satono (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) and Cheval D’Or (NZ) (Almanzor).
• Lot 396 is a half-sister to classy three-year-old Lupo Solitario (NZ) (Satono Aladdin), who has won three of his four starts including the recent Group Three Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m).
• Lot 480 is a half-sister to four black-type performers, including last season’s Group One Sistema Stakes (1200m) winner Ulanova (NZ) (Santos) and the Listed winner Steal My Kisses (I Am Invincible).

 

ALMANZOR

Almanzor brought outstanding credentials with him when he began shuttling to Cambridge Stud, having been Europe’s Champion 3YO Colt in 2016 with exceptional Group One triumphs in the Prix Du Jockey Club (2100m), Irish Champion Stakes (2000m) and British Champion Stakes (2000m). He has wasted no time in living up to that hype, and he now commands a service fee of $50,000.

Almanzor sired $1m Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) winner Dynastic (NZ) in his first crop of juveniles, and that was followed in the spring of 2022 by a first-crop Group One Victoria Derby (2500m) win with Manzoice. He was New Zealand’s leading first-season sire and finished second in the second-season standings behind Satono Aladdin.

Overall, Almanzor’s southern hemisphere crops have produced 57 winners from 135 runners to date. He has sired four Group winners, with Cheval D’Or (NZ) joining the list in the Group Three Championship Stakes (2100m) in April and Zabmanzor (NZ) emerging as an exciting young talent in last month’s Group Three Wellington Stakes (1600m). Mary Shan (NZ) is another highly promising member of the current three-year-old crop, recording strong recent placings in the Group Two Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) and Group Two Eight Carat Classic (1600m).

Manzoice’s Group One heroics have been backed up by another five Group One placegetters – Dynastic in the Sistema Stakes (1200m), Virtuous Circle (NZ) in the Australian Derby (2400m), Andalus (NZ) in the New Zealand Derby (2400m), Mehzebeen (NZ) in the New Zealand Oaks (2400m) and Blue Solitaire (NZ) in the New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).

Almanzor’s yearlings have sold for up to $675,000 at Karaka. Book 1 of Karaka 2024 features 51 of his progeny, while there are another 13 in Book 2.

• Lot 84 is a filly from a quality family. Her dam Fleece (Daylami) is the dam of five winners from five foals to race, including Group Two winner Needle And Thread (NZ) (Makfi) and the Listed winner, three-time Group One placegetter and sire Savile Row (NZ) (Makfi). Another half-sibling to this filly is the unraced Charmeuse (NZ) (O’Reilly), who is the dam of Group One Rosehill Guineas (2000m) placegetter Arrogant (NZ) (Ocean Park). Fleece is a half-sister to the dam of multiple Group One winner and sire The Gurkha (Galileo).
• Lot 175 is out of the blue-blooded Lady Faustina – an unraced daughter of Frankel and four-time Group One winner Silent Achiever (NZ) (O’Reilly).
• Lot 437 is a half-brother to the triple Group One winner Lucia Valentina (NZ) (Savabeel), who in turn is the dam of the Group One-placed Luella Cristina (Snitzel). Another half-brother to this colt is Malandrino (NZ) (Darci Brahma), who won the Group Three Manawatu Classic (2000m) and was also a two-time winner in Hong Kong.
• Lot 654 is a full-sister to Victoria Derby (2500m) hero Manzoice (Almanzor).

 

PER INCANTO

The capabilities of Little Avondale Stud’s Per Incanto have been well known in New Zealand for several years, courtesy of Group One stars such as Shadows Cast (NZ), Santa Monica (NZ), Dal Cielo (NZ) and Bonham. But the last couple of seasons have seen his stocks soar in Australia.

Roch ‘N’ Horse (NZ) completed a massive Melbourne sprint double in 2022, capturing the Group One Newmarket Handicap (1200m) in March before defeating a field of superstars in the Group One Champions Sprint (1200m) in November. Little Brose proved himself to be one of the standouts of his generation as a two-year-old in Melbourne last season, triumphing in the prestigious Blue Diamond (1200m). Lost And Running (NZ), meanwhile, has been the winner of nine races and more than A$4m, headed by a win in the Group Two Premiere Stakes (1200m) and a fourth in the A$15m The Everest (1200m).

Last season also brought further Group One success on New Zealand soil, with Belclare (NZ) blasting clear for a three-length win in the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m). The distant second placegetter was Skew Wiff (NZ) (Savabeel), who has herself gone on to score at the elite level.

Overall, Per Incanto has 367 winners to his name from 554 runners. He is the sire of 28 individual stakes winners and has become a mainstay among the top five on the New Zealand stallion premiership, standing for a $50,000 service fee. His yearlings have sold for up to $450,000 at Karaka.

Per Incanto has his biggest ever Book 1 representation at Karaka 2024 with 51, and there are another two in Book 2.

• Lot 3 is a filly out of the Group One Queensland Derby (2400m) winner Dariana (Redoute’s Choice).
• Lot 162 is a half-sister to three stakes performers. Showmanship (NZ) (Showcasing) won eight of his 11 starts including the Group Three Show County Quality (1200m), while Bahana (NZ) (Elusive City) was Singapore’s Champion Stayer in 2016 and won seven races including the Singapore Gold Cup (2200m). La Mouline (NZ) (Showcasing) has placed at Group Three level.
• Lot 265 is out of a half-sister to four stakes performers, including Hong Kong Horse of the Year Young Werther (NZ) (Tavistock) and Group One Australasian Oaks (2000m) winner Toffee Tongue (NZ) (Tavistock).
• Lot 391 is a half-brother to quality three-year-old filly Coeur Volante (NZ) (Proisir), who has won three of her five starts including the Group Two Thousand Guineas Prelude (1400m) and Group Three Scarborough Stakes (1200m). She also finished fourth in the Group One Thousand Guineas (1600m).
• Lot 579 is a full-brother to Group Three winner and Group One placegetter Charms Star (NZ) (Per Incanto). Another full-brother, Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto), has made a big impression winning four of his five starts to date.

 

OCEAN PARK

Himself a $150,000 purchase at Karaka as a yearling in 2010, Ocean Park (NZ) was New Zealand’s Horse of the Year in 2012-13 and won five Group One races headed by the Cox Plate (2040m). He retired to join the esteemed stallion roster at Waikato Stud, where his service fee is currently $30,000.

Ocean Park is the sire of 266 winners from 427 runners, with 21 individual stakes winners. His name has been put in lights by the likes of four-time Group One winner Tofane (NZ), triple Group One winner and A$6m earner Kolding (NZ), and this year’s highly impressive Queensland Derby (2400m) winner Kovalica (NZ).

Yearlings by Ocean Park have sold for up to $450,000 at Karaka, and buyers can choose from 45 of his yearlings in Book 1 of Karaka 2024, along with another nine in Book 2.

• Lot 76 is a three-quarter-sister to Kolding (NZ) (Ocean Park), whose 11 wins include the Group One All Aged Stakes (1400m), the Group One George Main Stakes (1600m), the Group One Epsom Handicap (1600m) and the A$10 million Golden Eagle (1500m).
• Lot 150 is a half-sister to Singapore’s Horse of the Year Lim’s Kosciuszko (Kermadec), who has won 17 of his 21 starts and mastered distances ranging from 1200 to 1800 metres.
• Lot 247 is a half-sister to last year’s Group One New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner Asterix (NZ) (Tavistock).
• Lot 366 is a half-brother to Ruthless Dame (NZ) (Tavistock) who beat older horses as a three-year-old in last season’s Group One Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m).
• Lot 501 is a half-brother to Group One winner Romancing The Moon (NZ) (El Roca), who is the only foal to race so far out of the Group Two winner and Group One-placed Underthemoonlight (NZ) (El Hermano).
• Lot 669 is a full-brother to the Group One winner Ocean Billy (NZ) (Ocean Park).

 

Australian-based sires

SO YOU THINK

One of New Zealand Bloodstock’s all-time greatest graduates, So You Think (NZ) was bought for $110,000 from the 2008 Premier Sale. He went on to win 14 of his 23 starts and $10m in prize-money, with five Group One triumphs in Australia and another five in the UK and Ireland.

So You Think has continued to excel at stud, finishing in the top two on the Australian sires’ premiership in both of the last two seasons and currently sitting in second for 2022-23. So You Think is the sire of 585 winners from 879 runners, with 55 stakes winners including 11 at Group One level. His standout performers include Think About It, whose 11 wins from 13 starts include the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m), Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) and the A$20m The Everest (1200m).

So You Think famously sired three Group One winners on a single day of The Championships at Randwick in 2022. Knights Order won the Sydney Cup (3200m), Think It Over took out the A$4m Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m), and Nimalee won the Queen of the Turf Stakes (1600m).

Karaka 2024 features seven progeny of So You Think, all in Book 1. Lot 261 is a half-brother to dual Group One winner Danzdanzdance (Mastercraftsman) and stakes winner Le Gai Soleil (NZ) (Tavistock). Lot 663 is a filly out of an unraced full-sister to the great Makybe Diva (Desert King).

 

I AM INVINCIBLE

After beginning his stud career at a service fee of A$11,000 back in 2010, I Am Invincible has soared to the top of Australia’s stallion tree. He now commands A$302,500, and he has been Australia’s champion sire in each of the last two seasons and holds a sizeable lead on the 2023-24 premiership.

I Am Invincible is the sire of 872 winners from 1094 runners, with 101 individual stakes winners. His 14 Group One winners include Te Akau Racing’s freakish mare Imperatriz, along with the likes of In Secret, Brazen Beau, Home Affairs and Viddora.

I Am Invincible’s progeny have sold for up to $625,000 at Karaka. Book 1 of Karaka 2024 features Lot 224, who is a half-brother to the Group One Champagne Stakes (1600m) winner Seabrook (NZ) (Hinchinbrook).

 

ZOUSTAR

Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) and Golden Rose (1400m) winner Zoustar stands at Widden Stud for a service fee of A$220,000. He has been represented by 542 winners from just 789 runners, with 47 stakes winners including Sunlight, Zoutori, Lezoo, Zougotcha, Mizzy, Joliestar and this season’s Coolmore Stud Stakes hero Ozzmosis at Group One level.

Zoustar’s progeny have been popular at Karaka, fetching up to $800,000, and he has two yearlings in the catalogue for Book 1 of Karaka 2024. Lot 55 is the first foal out of the classy I Am Invincible mare Evalina, who won at Listed level and placed in the Group One Railway Stakes (1200m). Lot 174 is a filly closely related to champion sire Redoute’s Choice, along with the likes of Shoals (Fastnet Rock), Rubick (Encosta De Lago), Platinum Scissors (Danehill) and Manhattan Rain (Encosta De Lago).

 

SNITZEL

Arrowfield Stud’s legendary Snitzel needs little introduction, with his 15-year career producing four Australian stallion premierships and multiple record-breaking seasons. He is the sire of an incredible 1165 winners from 1491 runners, and his service fee is A$247,500.

He has 19 Group One winners among his 139 stakes-winning progeny, including sire sons Shamus Award, Russian Revolution, Invader, Trapeze Artist, and exciting younger prospects such as Cambridge Stud’s Sword Of State and last season’s Golden Slipper (1200m) hero Shinzo.

Snitzel’s yearlings have sold for up to $625,000 at Karaka, and buyers will have access to three colts by the champion stallion in Book 1 of Karaka 2024. Lot 138 is out of Indecision (NZ) (Per Incanto), a stakes-winning half-sister to triple Group One winner Viadana (NZ) (Towkay). Lot 360 is out of the Group One-placed Rondinella (NZ) (Ocean Park), a three-quarter-sister to stakes winner Celebrity Dream (NZ) (Thorn Park) and half-sister to Group winners Vilanova (NZ) (Commands) and Vavasour (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice).

JUSTIFY

Coolmore’s Triple Crown champion Justify is among the most hyped stallions on the planet. With his oldest progeny still only three-year-olds, he has already racked up 113 winners from 241 runners, with 25 stakes winners including Group/Grade One stars Just FYI, City Of Troy, Hard To Justify, Opera Singer, Aspen Grove and Arabian Lion.

In Australia, Justify’s daughter Learning To Fly was one of the best of her generation as a two-year-old last season, winning all of her first three starts including the Group Two Reisling Stakes (1200m) before losing her rider in a rough-run Golden Slipper (1200m). Justify has also had early black-type success in New Zealand with Group Three-winning filly Star Of Justice (NZ).

Justify’s progeny have sold for up to $600,000 at Karaka. He has four colts and a filly catalogued for Book 1 of Karaka 2024. Lot 62 is a full-sister to the Group Three Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) winner Star Of Justice, while Lot 344 is out of the Group Three winner and Group One-placed Reilly Lincoln (NZ) (Pins).

 

New Zealand Bloodstock's 98th National Yearling Sale Series will take place from Sunday 28 January through to Friday 2 February at the Karaka Sales Centre. Continuing NZB’s traditional sale format, Book 1 runs from Sunday 28 January until Tuesday 30 January from 10am (NZT) each day, followed by Book 2 between Wednesday 31 January and Friday 2 February from 11am (NZT) each day.