The New Zealand thoroughbred breeding industry is renowned for producing classic three-year-old types and this season’s Group 1 winners have been heavily influenced by race track stars in their three-year-old campaigns
New Zealand’s niche market has also produced a steady flow of raiders in some of the richest races around the world.
Living up to his pedigree and $775,000 purchase price, Embellish (Savabeel) beat a star-studded field in this season’s G1 NZ 2000 Guineas.
Hasahalo (Savabeel) excelled in the NZ 1000 Guineas, Aloisia (Azamour) upstaged some highly rated fillies in the Caulfield Thousand Guineas and Mighty Boss (Not a Single Doubt) rose to the occasion in the Caulfield Guineas.Over the past five years New Zealand thoroughbreds have won 35% of all Group 1 Derbys and Oaks races in Australia and Andrew Forsman’s $65,000 purchase Jon Snow (NZ) (Iffraaj) flew the flag when he became the third Karaka graduate in a row to win the Group 1 Australian Derby. He followed in the footsteps of Tavago (NZ) (Tavistock) and Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Emperor).
Continuing the Kiwi dominance was star filly Bonneval (NZ) (Makfi), purchased by Baker Racing for $150,000, who became the first filly since 1990 to win the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks-Australian Oaks double. Her win in the Australian Oaks was the second year in a row that a Karaka graduate won with Sofia Rosa (NZ) (Makfi) winning the 2015 edition.Bonneval has since come out this season to win the first leg of the Caulfield Spring Weight-For-Age Championship in the Underwood Stakes making it her sixth black-type win in a row.
Of all Australian Group 1 three-year-old races, 25% were won by New Zealand-bred or sold horses in the past five seasons.
Montoya’s Secret (High Chaparral), secured by Bahen Bloodstock and Malu Bloodstock for $130,000, stole the spotlight in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes completing a Rosehill Group 1 double in a week for three-year-old Karaka graduates with Gingernuts (NZ) (Iffraaj) winning the previous Saturday’s Rosehill Guineas.Concluding another milestone, Gingernuts was the fifth consecutive New Zealand-bred winner of the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas.
Other Guineas winners last season include Group 1 New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas winner, and $50,000 Select Sale purchase, Ugo Foscolo (NZ) (Zacinto) who led home an all-Karaka trifecta.Hong Kong
Billed as the turf world championships the recent Hong Kong International was a memorable day for New Zealand horses with three Karaka graduates in the winner’s circle.Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock) flew the Karaka graduate flag in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile and Mr Stunning (Exceed and Excel) lead a Karaka quinella in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint with stablemate D B Pin (Darci Brahma) a fast-finishing contender coming in runner up.The last race of the night saw another stablemate, Time to Celebrate (NZ) (Per Incanto), take out the Maurice Handicap.
50% of all Group 1 Hong Kong Mile races have been won by Karaka graduates in the last eight seasons including Glorious Days in 2013 and twice-crowned Hong Kong Horse of the Year Ambitious Dragon (NZ) (Pins) in 2012, while Aerovelocity (NZ) (Pins) has had a starring role in the great sprint race with two outstanding wins in the 2014 and 2016 editions.
Versatility is abundant with New Zealand horses also winning nearly half of all Hong Kong Derbies in the last fifteen years - more than any other nation. Victories in the derbies were headed by six-time winner Fay Fay (NZ) (Falkirk) and legend of the turf Ambitious Dragon.Singapore
Twenty-three individual stakes winning Karaka graduates in the last five seasons collectively won just over double that number in stakes wins with 47 victories.Significantly boosting this figure was star O’Reilly gelding, War Affair (NZ), who from 29 starts claimed 12 black-type features including both two-year-old features (the Golden Horseshoe and Juvenile Championship), the 3YO Sprint, 3YO Classic and Singapore Guineas.
A season later he claimed the first two legs of the Triple Crown Series (the Kranji Mile and Raffles Cup), as well as the Lion City Cup, Stewards’ Cup and Patron’s Bowl.
In 2017 Kiwi horses collected nine of the 11 awards on offer with four Yearling Sale graduates contributing to the haul and spear-headed by reigning Singapore Horse of the Year Debt Collector (NZ) (Thorn Park). Michael Wallace secured the eight-time winner as a Yearling for $30,000.Other award winners included Champion 4YO Well Done (NZ) (Falkirk), Champion 2YO Lim’s Racer (NZ) (Red Giant) and Champion Stayer Bahana (NZ) (Elusive City).
Gilt Complex (NZ) (Gold Centre), who sold for just $10,000 to Anna Scott Racing, hit the pinnacle of Singapore racing this season with victories in the two final legs of the Triple Crown Series claiming both the Raffles Cup and the Dester Singapore Gold Cup.Karaka 2018
The consistent record in which kiwi horses excel is no better advertisement to head to Karaka to source your next racetrack legend. Their reputation is unrivalled and popularity among international buyers is on the rise. In 2017, the international buying bench was represented by nine countries who purchased a total of $52 million worth of bloodstock, accounting for 63% of all purchases.In the peak of the summer season, Karaka 2018 will offer 1,247 of the very best thoroughbreds from around the country at the new-look sale week and 92nd National Yearling Sales Series. The first session of the Series will now take place on the evening of Sunday 28 January. With around 100 yearlings to be offered, this night session will also kick off the new-look catalogue structure, being the first of 700 horses catalogued together in the new 'Karaka Book 1'.
Book 2 will be sold on the Thursday and Friday of sales week, while Book 3 will go under the hammer on Sunday 4 February. The Karaka Million Twilight Meeting will be included in the restructure, moving to the Saturday 27 January and along with two $1m Karaka Million races there are now four Group races on the card.