New Zealand Bloodstock kicks off its National Yearling Sale Series Monday with its two-day Premier Sale at the Karaka sales complex in Auckland. A total of 447 yearlings are slated to go under the hammer during the Premier Sale, which is followed by the Select Sale Jan. 27 to 29 and the Festival Sale Jan. 31, for which an additional 929 lots are catalogued.
Karaka has long established itself as one of Australasia's–and the world's–premier sources of Group 1 winners. The sales have produced 21 individual Group 1 winners during the 2014/15 season–more than any other Australasian sales company–and have also sold 37% of Australasia's auctioned Group 1 winners over the last five years with just 21% of the auctioned crop. The NZB series got the 2015/16 season off to a fast start with seven Group 1 winners in the first half of the season, including G1 Melbourne Cup winner Prince of Penzance (NZ) (Pentire {GB}) and G1 Caulfield Cup scorer Mongolian Khan (Aus) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}).
Other Group 1-winning Karaka graduates during the spring included G1 Victoria Derby victor Tarzino (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}); G1 Turnbull S. winner Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}); and G1 George Main S. victor Kermadec (NZ) (Teofilo {Ire}).
Karaka has established a reputation as a source of top-class racehorses at value prices. Last season's 21 Group 1 winners–which won their top-level races in five different countries–averaged NZ$146,056, with prices ranging from NZ$8,000 to NZ$700,000. One of those was Hong Kong's champion sprinter Aerovelocity (NZ) (Pins {Aus}). He cost trainer Paul O'Sullivan NZ$120,000 and has gone on to earn almost NZ$5 million.
“Karaka is the value sale of the world, where you can find a horse of the highest class,” said O'Sullivan. This season's Group 1 winners Preferment and Kermadec cost NZ$190,000 and NZ$260,000, respectively, while Mongolian Khan and Tarzino cost a combined NZ$185,000 out of the Select Sale, which on its own has produced the winners of 27 Group 1 races over the last three seasons. Karaka's most famed graduate of recent times is the brilliant 10-time, dual-hemisphere Group 1 winner So You Think (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}), who cost DGR Thoroughbred Services NZ$110,000 before going on to earn nearly NZ$9 million.
Highlights of the catalogue on paper include lot 45, a full-brother to Prince Of Penzance; lot 133, a full-sister to G1 Newmarket H. winner Shamexpress (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}); lot 159, a full-sister to G1 New Zealand 1000 Guinea winner Planet Rock (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}); lot 223, a Magnus (Aus) colt who is a half-brother to Mongolian Khan as well as another Group 1 winner in Young Centaur (Aus) (Jeune {GB}); lot 332, an Animal Kingdom daughter of stakes winner Johan's Toy (Aus) (Johan Cruyuff {Aus}) and therefore a half-sister to multiple group winner Toydini (Aus) (Bernardini); lot 401, a colt from the last crop of Commands (Aus) who is a half-brother to triple Group 1 winner Samantha Miss (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}); and lot 430, a Snitzel (Aus) half-brother to Group 1-winning juvenile Marky Mark (NZ) (Makfi {GB}).
All Too Hard, who made a big impression with his first yearlings at Magic Millions, has four catalogued, three of which are siblings to stakes winners, and Pierro, who topped Magic Millions by average for first-season sires, has 11 catalogued.
Progeny of Fastnet Rock have topped this sale the last four years, and Coolmore's champion sire has 15 catalogued, including lot 60, a filly that traces back to influential broodmare Procrastinate (Aus) (Jade Hunter); lot 169, a filly from the family of Grade I winners Phone Chatter (Phone Trick) and In Lingerie (Empire Maker); lot 183, a half-sister to Group 2 winner All Legal (Aus) (Al Maher {Aus}) out of a half-sister to G1 Hong Kong Mile winner Glorious Days (Aus) (Hussonet); and lot 396, a filly out of the young stakes-producing mare Memories Of You (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a half-sister to four stakes winners.
Snitzel, who was responsible for three of the six millionaires at Magic Millions, has six catalogued, and his sire, Redoute's Choice, had his offerings whittled down to one with two scratches. Leading local sires Savabeel and O'Reilly are well represented with 52 and 38, respectively.
The NZB Premier Sale begins at 11 a.m. local time Monday.
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