Last year’s New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sales Series was the second-best ever in the 84 year history of the National Sale in this country. It was a remarkable achievement given that it took place against a backdrop of a worldwide economic recession. That, coupled with the events of the following twelve months, gives me confidence that next Monday & Tuesday’s Karaka Premier Sale will be a success.
The Product
Buyers will view an outstanding line of yearlings when they come to Karaka. In fact, in my 30 years in this business, I’ve never seen a better across-the-board bunch of yearlings in this country. Readers will be well aware of the impact High Chaparral has had in this part of the world. He leads the Australian Stallion Premiership with his headline act being the champion galloper So You Think. Karaka offers buyers the next available Southern Hemisphere crop of High Chaparral, with the horse having stood at Windsor Park Stud in 2008. Every serious buyer is going to want a High Chaparral. The same can be said for Zabeel, Australasia’s undisputed greatest living stallion. The Cambridge Stud kingpin has another wonderful draft of colts and fillies and buyers are all too aware that he’s sired four Cox Plate winners (more than any other stallion), three Melbourne Cup winners and three Caulfield Cup winners. I could talk all day about the product on offer at Karaka’s Premier Sale – it’s world class and will sell accordingly.
Spring Carnival success
New Zealand-bred horses had a remarkable Spring Carnival in both Melbourne and Sydney, a fact which won’t be lost on Australian buyers. They know that the kiwi horse makes up less than 6% of the Australian racehorse population, yet so often the NZ-bred horse has come out on top. During the all-important spring racing period kiwi bred-and-raised horses won 11 Group One races. So You Think (NZ) lead the way with four wins at the elite level, but he wasn’t alone in carrying the flag for his homeland. Lion Tamer (NZ) won the Victoria Derby; Brazilian Pulse (NZ) won the Victoria Oaks; Wall Street (NZ) won the Emirates Stakes; Descarado (NZ) won the Caulfield Cup; Herculian Prince (NZ) won the Metropolitan Handicap (it was Gai Waterhouse’s 7th Metropolitan Handicap winner with a NZ-bred horse) and More Joyous (NZ) won Group One races in both Melbourne & Sydney.
Exchange Rate
The favourable NZ dollar is going to make a real difference to the Karaka equation. Australia is our most important market ? traditionally they buy around 50% of our horses at yearling sale time. Right now NZ$100,000 equates to around A$77,000 ? so it’s a huge advantage for the Australian buyer; certainly the local buyers will find it tough to beat off the international competition when it comes to bidding time.
Sale Indicators
There have been two yearling sales in Australia so far this year and both have held up well. The Magic Millions Sales on the Gold Coast was only slightly down; a remarkable result when consideration was given to the fact that just down the road ? Brisbane was suffering the worst flood since 1974 and the state of Queensland saw wide-ranging floods and tragic loss of life. This week has seen a positive sale result in Sydney for William Inglis & Son’s Classic Yearling Sale. The three day sale saw final figures improved on last year. These two Australian sales are indicators to the likely outcome at Karaka, but only indicators as the offering in New Zealand is very different to what buyers chase at both the Gold Coast and Sydney.
Ingredients for a successful sale
Last year’s New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sales Series was the second-best ever in the 84 year history of the National Sale in this country. It was a remarkable achievement given that it took place against a backdrop of a worldwide economic recession. That, coupled with the events of the following twelve months, gives me confidence that next Monday & Tuesday’s Karaka Premier Sale will be a success.
The Product
Buyers will view an outstanding line of yearlings when they come to Karaka. In fact, in my 30 years in this business, I’ve never seen a better across-the-board bunch of yearlings in this country. Readers will be well aware of the impact High Chaparral has had in this part of the world. He leads the Australian Stallion Premiership with his headline act being the champion galloper So You Think. Karaka offers buyers the next available Southern Hemisphere crop of High Chaparral, with the horse having stood at Windsor Park Stud in 2008. Every serious buyer is going to want a High Chaparral. The same can be said for Zabeel, Australasia’s undisputed greatest living stallion. The Cambridge Stud kingpin has another wonderful draft of colts and fillies and buyers are all too aware that he’s sired four Cox Plate winners (more than any other stallion), three Melbourne Cup winners and three Caulfield Cup winners. I could talk all day about the product on offer at Karaka’s Premier Sale – it’s world class and will sell accordingly.
Spring Carnival success
New Zealand-bred horses had a remarkable Spring Carnival in both Melbourne and Sydney, a fact which won’t be lost on Australian buyers. They know that the kiwi horse makes up less than 6% of the Australian racehorse population, yet so often the NZ-bred horse has come out on top. During the all-important spring racing period kiwi bred-and-raised horses won 11 Group One races. So You Think (NZ) lead the way with four wins at the elite level, but he wasn’t alone in carrying the flag for his homeland. Lion Tamer (NZ) won the Victoria Derby; Brazilian Pulse (NZ) won the Victoria Oaks; Wall Street (NZ) won the Emirates Stakes; Descarado (NZ) won the Caulfield Cup; Herculian Prince (NZ) won the Metropolitan Handicap (it was Gai Waterhouse’s 7th Metropolitan Handicap winner with a NZ-bred horse) and More Joyous (NZ) won Group One races in both Melbourne & Sydney.
Exchange Rate
The favourable NZ dollar is going to make a real difference to the Karaka equation. Australia is our most important market ? traditionally they buy around 50% of our horses at yearling sale time. Right now NZ$100,000 equates to around A$77,000 ? so it’s a huge advantage for the Australian buyer; certainly the local buyers will find it tough to beat off the international competition when it comes to bidding time.
Sale Indicators
There have been two yearling sales in Australia so far this year and both have held up well. The Magic Millions Sales on the Gold Coast was only slightly down; a remarkable result when consideration was given to the fact that just down the road ? Brisbane was suffering the worst flood since 1974 and the state of Queensland saw wide-ranging floods and tragic loss of life. This week has seen a positive sale result in Sydney for William Inglis & Son’s Classic Yearling Sale. The three day sale saw final figures improved on last year. These two Australian sales are indicators to the likely outcome at Karaka, but only indicators as the offering in New Zealand is very different to what buyers chase at both the Gold Coast and Sydney.