The 2009 Karaka Million Close Up

New Zealand Bloodstock's $1,000,000 Karaka Million is set to be hotly contested on Sunday evening at Ellerslie, with the fourteen-horse field competing for a one million dollar prize pool in New Zealand's richest two-year-old event.

Below we take an in-depth look at the field.

Ellerslie Racecourse: Race 5 - The $1,000,000 Karaka Million Res. L (1200m) 7.23pm

Track: Good 3 Weather: Fine Rail: Out 3.5 Metres

Race Form

Last year's inaugural Karaka Million winner Vincent Mangano (No Excuse Needed - Rationable, by Housebuster) had won three races leading up to the 2008 race, including the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes and WRC Wellesley Stakes, before running fourth prior to the $1 million dollar feature.

This year's field contains two horses who have won more races than any other horses in the field, Katie Lee (Pins - Miss Jessie Jay, by Spectacularphantom) and Mexican Rose (Volksraad - Down View, by Gone West), with two wins apiece.

Katie Lee, who won the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes at her last start at Ellerslie over the 1200m course of the Karaka Million (KM), shares the closest form line to Vincent Mangano as she placed second in this season's Listed Counties Challenge Stakes and Listed Waikato RC Fairview Ford Stakes.

Mexican Rose is unbeaten, winning first-up at Manawatu before she showed outstanding determination to win on 10 January over the same course and distance as the KM.

King's Ransom (King's Chapel - Joan, by Colonel Collins) jumped to second on the order of entry after his super-impressive victory in Saturday's $100,000 Wakefield Challenge Stakes. Second in that race, Veldt (Volksraad - Jumble, by Kaapstad) earned valuable black-type and given his victory at his only other start, he rates a good chance in the race too.

Other entrants to have raced up to black-type level include Sacramento (No Excuse Needed - Lodore Mystic, by Centaine), Ransom Success (Red Ransom - Tully Tango, by Danehill), and Bewitch (Bachelor Duke - Star of Flight, by Marscay).

The form of the Australian horses, Sarge in Charge (Golan - Dainty, by Fairy King) and Optimizing (Exceed and Excel - Joan's Best, by Gold Brose), is hard to compare but both are city winners. A line can be taken through the form of Motown Lady (Al Maher), however, third in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast, she finished behind Sarge in Charge at her previous start.

New Zealand two-year-old winners in the race, not already mentioned, include The Heckler (Lucky Owners - Comedy Caf, by Rory's Jester), Rachine (Pins - Martini, by Centaine), Corsage (Volksraad - Spray, by Entrepreneur), Belle De Jeu (Not A Single Doubt - Miss Charmer, by Zabeel), Shuttleworth (Volksraad - Tycoon Babe, by Last Tycoon), Te Akau Rose (Thorn Park - Straussbridge, by Straussbrook), and Monday's Trentham winner Our Saint (My Halo - Ashberg, by Bigstone).

The remainder of the field is made up of some very promising placed horses including Numero De Lago (Encosta De Lago - Statistic, by Mr. Prospector), Kaaptan (Kaapstad - Fanny Black, by Chem), Purobeach (Captain Rio - Rachel Marie, by Desert King), along with twice fourth placed The Toothfairy (Volksraad - Split the Night, by Senor Pete).

Sale and Price

This year's field ranges in yearling sale price from the $25,000 paid for Corsage by David Ellis, to the $480,000 paid by Peter and Kaye McKay for Alamosa's half-brother Sacramento.

By comparison, the 2008 KM field ranged in price from $17,000 paid by KSM Livestock for Silk Spur (Rusty Spur), to the $380,000 purchase price of Noble Manor (Stravinsky) by David Ellis.

The median sale price for this year's KM acceptors is $75,000, while the average price paid was $123,050. Last year the median sale price was $52,500 and the average sale price was $91,760.

In 2008 the KM field was an even affair in terms of Sale Session spread. The Premier, Select, Festival and Carnival Sales were all represented.

In 2009 the Select Session, Karaka's largest session in terms of quantity, has dominated the acceptance list, with twelve of the twenty having been sold at the second-tier sale.

The Premier Session was also well represented with six including favourites Katie Lee and Optimizing, and also Sacramento, Numero De Lago, Ransom Success, and Te Akau Rose. Making up the acceptance list are two graduates of the Carnival Sale in Our Saint and The Toothfairy.

Inaugural KM winner Vincent Mangano was an $80,000 purchase from the Premier Session. Optimizing shares the closest purchase history to last year's winner. She was purchased at the Premier Session for $90,000 by Mark Pilkington.

Barrier Draw

Last year's first four place getters jumped from the following barrier numbers (corresponding horse this year in brackets, with emergencies as scratchings):

1. 14 - Vincent Mangano - (Kaaptan)

2. 8 - Maureen Dorothy - (Bewitch)

3. 6 - Raid - (Optimizing)

4. 13 - Noble Manor - (Numero De Lago)

Jockey

Last year's first four jockeys home will ride the following in the 2009 event:

1. Vinnie Colgan: Rachine

2. Mark Du Plessis: N/A

3. Andrew Calder: Sacramento

4. Michael Walker: Corsage

Trainer

Mark Walker is represented by the most contestants in the event again this year, with five runners amongst the field and emergencies. Amongst Walker's runners are the impressive Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes winner King's Ransom, and fourth place-getter in that race Numero De Lago. He also has Ransom Success, who has travelled up from the South Island and speedy winning fillies Corsage (Volksraad - Spray, by Entrepreneur) and Te Akau Rose (Thorn Park - Straussbridge, by Straussbrook).

Last year's leading New Zealand trainer of two-year-olds was represented by four in the 2008 event, with Noble Manor finishing in fourth position.

Inaugural KM winning trainer Peter McKay is again represented by a son of No Excuse Needed in the race, this one, Sacramento, a half brother to Alamosa. Sacramento ran an encouraging second behind Katie Lee at Group 3 level last start.

Trainer of 2008 KM third placed Raid, Stephen McKee is also represented by one runner, the fast finishing Kaaptan who will look to settle towards the back of the field on a strong pace and finish over the top of them, much like Vincent Mangano last year from the same barrier draw.

Vendor

Windsor Park Stud has dominated the vendors list for this year's KM. After selling one horse, Bankside Belle, amongst 2008 KM acceptors, they claim the bragging rights for offering six two-year-olds amongst 2009 KM acceptors. They sold the top three in the racebook King's Ransom, Sarge in Charge, and Veldt, as well as fillies Corsage and Te Akau Rose, and the Moroney colt Shuttleworth.

Last year's leading vendor was Waikato Stud with three acceptors, including the winner Vincent Mangano. As vendor of the winner, Waikato Stud received the $10,000 Vendor Bonus from New Zealand Bloodstock.

Waikato Stud is represented by Sacramento and Rachine in the 2009 KM.

Breeding

2009 KM most represented sire is six-time champion New Zealand sire Volksraad, well respected for leaving quality juveniles. He is represented by five acceptors this year in colts Veldt and Shuttleworth, as well as three fillies in Mexican Rose, Corsage and The Toothfairy. Volksraad did not have a starter in the 2008 event.

Last year's winning sire No Excuse Needed will be represented by Sacramento, trained by 2008 KM winning trainer Peter McKay, who along with his wife Kaye, also have ownership in both horses.

As a broodmare sire Centaine is represented by Sacramento and Rachine, making him the most represented in this category. Broodmare sires renowned for speed are well represented including Rory's Jester with The Heckler, Mr. Prospector and his son Gone West with Numero De Lago and Mexican Rose respectively, while Marscay is the broodmare sire of Bewitch.

Sixteen of the twenty acceptors are out of winning mares, of which four are out of stakes winning mares and four out of stakes-placed mares. Fascinatingly, of the four stakes winning dams, three won stakes races in the South Island as three-year-olds.

Joan, the dam of King's Ransom, won the Listed Otago RC Dunedin Guineas; Miss Jessie Jay, the dam of favourite Katie Lee, won the Listed CJC Warstep Stakes; and Joan's Best, the dam of Optimizing, won the Listed CJC Canterbury Belle Stakes, Listed Otago Breeders' Stakes and the Listed Ashburton RC Ray Coupland Stakes.

Only two horses in the field have Group 1 winning two-year-olds on their immediate pedigree pages. They are Kaaptan who hails from the family of Zola (Volksraad), winner of the Group 1 ARC Ellerslie Sires Produce Stakes, and Belle De Jeu who descends from the famous Belle family which includes Group 1 Golden Slipper winner Belle Du Jour (Dehere).

Birth Date

Given the timing of such a race you would expect horses to be mature, early types, so you might expect early foals to dominate the acceptors list for KM.

Interestingly the birth dates for the 2009 KM range from early foal Sacramento who was born on 17 August to late foals Shuttleworth and Our Saint born on 23 November. Most of the acceptors, eight in total, were born in September. Favourite Katie Lee was born on 14 September, while second favourite Optimizing was born over two months later on 16 November.

Vincent Mangano the victor of the 2008 KM was born on 16 September. Among this year's acceptors Purobeach shares the closest birth date on 17 September, with Katie Lee born on 14 September.

The Bookies

The New Zealand T.A.B. has the well-performed Katie Lee as favourite at $3.20 fixed odds. South Australian Optimizing is current second elect at $7, while King's Ransom is a touch longer at $7.50, and Kaaptan (Kaapstad - Fanny Black, by Chem) at $8. The rest of the field is at double figure odds.

Last year's winner Vincent Mangano started as ninth favourite paying over $20 for the win. T.A.B. favourites last year San Bernadino (Gold Mine), Fyfetheknife (Spartacus) and Il Quello Veloce (Captain Rio) finished seventh, thirteenth, and sixth respectively.

Click here for the fully detailed field of the 2009 Karaka Million.

The Karaka Million is shaping as an extremely exciting contest and the best way to experience it will be on-course at Ellerslie Racecourse, from 4.30 pm with race one set to jump at 5.10pm. Click here to view the hospitality packages available to you at Ellerslie on Sunday, 25 January.