Yearling Category Building Momentum

The 2018 Karaka May Sale is exhibiting a major enhancement to the Yearling section with all yearlings offered now eligible to be nominated for the lucrative Karaka Million Series. The Yearling category will see the first horses of the Sale go through the ring on Monday 7 May with Lots 1 to 65 selling from 10am.

Set to give the Sale an additional boost, this will provide buyers another opportunity to contest two $1 million races – the 2019 Karaka Million 2YO and the 2020 Karaka Million 3YO Classic, and the $100,000 CollinsonForex Karaka Cup for the remainder of their career.

Among the 65 yearlings catalogued are the progeny of Group 2 winners Alagant Satin (Lot 4, by international Group 1 sire Tavistock) and Highflying (Lot 34, by first season sire at Karaka Proisir); and stakes winners Aimee’s Idol (Lot 3, by Proisir) and Tip the Wink (Lot 64, by Australia’s leading sire Snitzel).

In addition to these stakes performing dams are siblings to stakes performers:

• A colt (Lot 24) by first season sire at Karaka Charm Spirit who is a half-brother to dual stakes winner and Group 3 performer Bassett (NZ) (Savabeel).
• Lot 18, by Per Incanto, who is a half-brother to six time winner in Hong Kong, including the HK$3 million Chairman’s Trophy, More Bountiful (NZ) (Van Nistelrooy).
• A Jimmy Choux filly at Lot 15 who is a half-sister to Sacred Rhythm (NZ) (Pentire), winner of five of her 10 starts including the Oaks Prelude at her third race.
• A filly by Jimmy Choux, Lot 26, who is the half-sister to Caduceus (NZ) (Lucky Unicorn) and winner of his first two starts including the Champagne Stakes.

Yearling entries for the Sale have increased considerably with 65 youngsters set to be offered this year contrasted with 87 yearlings offered over the last five years. In those same five years the Sale has produced five stakes performers with the most recent victory made by Ladies First (NZ) (Dylan Thomas) when she overcame a wide run to claim the Group 1 Auckland Cup.

While it was her best performance yet, the Allan Sharrock-trained mare also won the Rangitikei Gold Cup and Wanganui Cup back-to-back taking her earnings to over $480,000 for owners Humphrey and Fiona O’Leary – 60 times her purchase price of $8,000 out of Blandford Lodge’s 2014 draft.

Earlier in the year winning filly Belle du Nord (NZ) (Reliable Man) placed second in the Group 1 Levin Classic after a strong two-year-old campaign where she was runner up behind Champion 2YO Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) in the Group 1 Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes. A $50,000 filly out of Bradbury Park’s 2016 draft, she has returned $116,982 in prizemoney for her Northern Club Racing No 12 syndicate.

Flying the flag in Singapore is polytrack specialist Best Tothelign (NZ) (Align) who won the S$175,000 Colonial Chief Stakes. The Kiwi galloper has won nine starts and placed in another 12 earning more than $660,000 in prizemoney.

Other stakes performers include South African Group 3 place-getter Forgive No Forget (NZ) (Darci Brahma) and Macau sprinter Valiant Soldier (Keeper).

While the Yearling category has produced racetrack stars, it has also been a space for making profitable returns with low-priced yearlings returning to the sale ring as a Ready to Run two-year-old. Last year the Sale catalogued 10 yearlings and two of those made a big pinhooking score.

Bradbury Park offered their Reliable Man yearling with Ric Wylie Bloodstock acquiring him for $40,000. He returned six months later with JK Farm fetching $210,000 for the gelding (Lot 138) from purchaser Kelly Schweida. A Showcasing yearling, also from Bradbury Park’s draft, sold for $41,000 to Highline Ag and returned to the Ready to Run Sale under Ohukia Lodge’s draft with Australian buyer Bill Mitchell outlaying $100,000 for the colt at Lot 7.

The Karaka May Sale will be held on 7 and 8 May with selling commencing at 10am each day. A total of 518 horses will go through the ring including Weanlings (294), Yearlings (65), Two-Year-Old’s (three), Unraced Stock (two), Racehorses (10) and Broodmares (144).

View the catalogue online to begin the search for your next racetrack star or pinhook project, or request a hard copy from Faye Hunt at [email protected]. For travel and accommodation information contact Harry King at [email protected].