Karaka Premier Catalogue Now Available

New Zealand Bloodstock's 2012 Premier Sale catalogue is hot off the press and available online.

The 2012 catalogue offers even more opportunity than last year with 516 lots set to grace the Karaka sales ring on 30 & 31 January next year - the largest Premier catalogue assembled since 2006.

This year the selection boasts progeny from over 100 stakeswinning dams and siblings to over 135 individual stakes winners, with more than 30 of these Group 1 winners.

Demand for the New Zealand product continues to grow as kiwi thoroughbreds forge a winning reputation around the world. Last season in Australia, New Zealand bred horses won 31% of all Australia's Group 1 races, with just 5.2% of the racing population.

Last season in Singapore and Hong Kong New Zealand Bloodstock was unmatched by any auction house for black-type wins. NZB graduates also stole the show at the Hong Kong Racing Awards taking home five of the 11 titles, with Ambitious Dragon crowned Horse of the Year and Beauty Flash the Champion Miler.

With the Karaka Premier Sale featuring the progeny of 59 leading sires from around the world, they include plentiful representation by some of the most highly sought after sires: Darci Brahma (39), Encosta de Lago (16), Fastnet Rock (14), High Chaparral (61), O'Reilly (57), Pentire (31), Pins (22), Savabeel (25), Stravinsky (21), Zabeel (32) and more.

Hotshot sire High Chaparral is the most represented sire at this year's Premier Sale, with 61 yearlings. High Chaparral struck an affinity with New Zealand mares siring four Group 1 winners in his first crop, headlined by the superstar Karaka graduate So You Think. This year's selection is the last of his New Zealand conceived yearlings.

The sire of 32 stakes winners - 13 fillies and 19 colts - and six Group 1 winners, High Chaparral has a draft of 35 colts and 26 fillies including:

• Lot 159, the half-sister to the $2 million sale topping colt in 2010, from Cambridge Stud's winning Danehill mare Diamond Like.
• Lot 284, Windsor Park Stud's three-quarter brother in blood to the New Zealand bred champion So You Think.
• Lot 325 from Hallmark Stud, the half-brother to the dual Group 1 winning mare Gee I Jane (Jahafil) and Group 3 winner Miss Jessie Jay (Spectacularphantom), the dam of Group 1 winners Katie Lee (Pins) and Banchee (Oratorio).

New Zealand's own champion sire Zabeel continues to be one of the drawcards of the Karaka Yearling Sales. The sire of 137 stakes winners, 41 at Group 1 level, and already the damsire of 82 stakes winners, 16 at Group 1 level, Zabeel's ascendancy in the Karaka sales ring is unparalleled.

The champion sire has 32 entries in the Karaka Premier Sale (18 colts and 14 fillies), 18 of which will be offered by Sir Patrick and Lady Justine Hogan's Cambridge Stud, the leading vendor at Karaka by aggregate for the last 30 years.

Zabeel's line-up includes:

• One of 10 Zabeel yearlings from Danehill line mares, the filly at Lot 147 is a close relation to Group 1 winners Dizelle and Vengeance of Rain, both by Zabeel.
• Yearlings from half-sisters to Group 1 winners Maldivian, The Duke, Zirna, and yearlings from Group winning mares Honor Babe, Howmuchyacharging, Katy Keen, Sarajay, and more.

Other leading New Zealand sires to feature in the catalogue include Bachelor Duke (2), Don Eduardo (4), Iffraaj (2), Keeper (15), No Excuse Needed (2), Perfectly Ready (2), Thorn Park (15) and Volksraad (3).

With a full spectrum of Australia's sire power represented, Fastnet Rock is set to be a standout with a sensational spring under his belt, with nine individual stakes winners in New Zealand and Australia. The sire of Atlantic Jewel, Mosheen, the $1 million Karaka graduate Rock 'n' Pop and fellow graduate Planet Rock, who have all won at Group 1 level this season, he has 14 yearlings in the Sale including:

• Lot 353 from Cambridge Stud, the three-quarter brother to the Group 1 winner and last season's New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year King's Rose (Redoute's Choice).

Twice Australia's champion sire, Encosta de Lago has sired 86 stakes winners thus far, 19 of these at Group 1 level. With worldwide progeny earnings in excess of $100 million, the Coolmore stallion has 16 yearlings in the Karaka Premier Sale including:

• Siblings to Group 1 winners Sphenophyta (Groom Dancer), Sir Slick (Volksraad), Green Birdie (Catbird) and Triple Honour (Honours List).

An added attraction this year at Karaka are the only two southern hemisphere bred colts this season by world leading sire sensation Galileo at Lots 54 and 482.

Other leading sires from Australia and around the world include Bernardini (4), Commands (7), Danehill Dancer (4), Dehere (2), Exceed and Excel (4), Flying Spur (5), Lonhro (5), More Than Ready (5), Redoute's Choice (1), Red Ransom (3), Starcraft (3), Stratum (5), Street Cry (2) Tale of the Cat (3) and Testa Rossa (5).

The Karaka Premier Sale will see 11 first season sires making their yearling sale debut this year: Almosa (24), Authorized (1), Duke of Marmalade (4), Guillotine (4), Henrythenavigator (10), Interprete (1), New Approach (2), Northern Meteor (5), Sakhee's Secret (12), Sebring (8) and Sir Percy (6).

Amongst the freshman selection is:

• Lot 37, the half-brother by Alamosa to the winner of this season's Group 1 New Zealand Bloodstock 1000 Guineas in Planet Rock (Fastnet Rock).
• Lot 338, the half-sister by Sebring to the Group 1 duo of Australian Derby winner Headturner and Caulfield Guineas winner Anacheeva.

To provide you with even more of the flavour of Karaka 2012, Bluebloods magazine, in conjunction with New Zealand Thoroughbred Marketing, has once again produced a stellar interactive Karaka Yearling Sale Preview featuring major vendor profiles, and much more.

To view the 2012 Karaka Premier Sale catalogue online, click here.

Catalogues for the 2012 Karaka Premier Sale (30 & 31 January) will be sent out today. Catalogues for the Select Sale and Festival Sale will be posted online tomorrow. To request catalogues please email reception@nzb.co.nz or contact NZB on +64 9 298 0055.