New Zealand Bloodstock is set to mark a significant milestone as the National Yearling Sale celebrates its 100th anniversary, offering a refined catalog of quality yearlings to be offered across three days of selling, beginning Jan. 25 at Karaka.
The centenary edition follows a solid 2025 renewal, when five days of trade across Book 1 and Book 2 delivered encouraging results. Across the two books, 751 yearlings were sold for an aggregate NZ$86,321,500, with a combined clearance rate of 80%. The average price was NZ$114,942 and the median NZ$80,000.
International buyers accounted for 54.5% of turnover, while New Zealand purchasers also contributed significantly, purchasing 435 lots for a total spend of NZ$39,242,500.
The sale topper was Lot 345, a Savabeel filly out of Symphonic, purchased for NZ$2.4 million by Guy Mulcaster and Chris Waller on behalf of New Zealand owner Glenn Ritchie. Offered by Haunui Farm, she became the most expensive filly ever sold at Karaka.
David Ellis led the buying bench with 27 purchases totaling NZ$4,757,500, while Haunui Farm was the leading vendor by aggregate, selling 37 yearlings for NZ$7,343,000.
NZB managing director Andrew Seabrook believes the centenary edition is shaping up strongly, with a diverse mix of international and domestic buyers present at the Karaka complex.
"We've been planning for the hundred-year sale for a couple of years now," Seabrook told ANZ News. "For the last few months, it's been the talk of the industry, not just in New Zealand, but overseas as well. I was over at the Gold Coast a couple of weeks ago and got a really good vibe there and about people wanting to come over and attend the sale. Our bookings are fantastic, and walking around the sales ground it is really busy and there is a nice atmosphere."
Fresh from a successful Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, which recorded an increased clearance rate of 86.7% across both books, up from 80.4% in 2025, Seabrook is hopeful that momentum will flow into Karaka.
"The success of the Ready to Run Sale gives us confidence. The sales season seems to have started well in Queensland, and the fact that it's our 100-year celebration allows us to get more support from our vendors, resulting in a better catalog."
A key feature of the centenary edition is a slight adjustment to the sale format: with Book 1 reduced to two days of selling and Book 2 condensed to one, ensuring all yearlings were on the complex throughout the inspection period.
A total of 567 lots, down from 661 last year, have been cataloged for Book 1, with 281 in Book 2, down from 427, alongside 161 yearlings assembled for the Karaka Summer Sale.
"We have lots of Australians here, some new faces, and some returning to lend support for the 100th anniversary. We are really happy with the bench we have been able to assemble. Although Hong Kong and the Hong Kong market seem to be more in tune with the Ready to Run Sale these days, there's quite a few Hong Kong and Chinese buyers here, so that's really heartening as well."
Seabrook believes the catalog offers depth across all levels of the market, buoyed by the strength of last November's Ready to Run Sale.
"A successful Ready to Run Sale will give the pinhookers the confidence to go again. Certainly a lot of pinhookers out there looking and when you combine that with the end users from New Zealand and Australia and further afar, that gives us a bit of confidence that the sale should at least hold up, but I'd be disappointed if we couldn't see an increase on last year."
Among the vendors embracing the centenary edition is Little Avondale Stud, who will present a draft of 19 yearlings in Book 1, including seven by their star stallion Per Incanto.
Owner Sam Williams said the buzz around the complex had been evident throughout inspections.
Per Incanto continues to build an exceptional record on the track, particularly in Australia, headlined by Ciaron Maher's sprinters Jimmysstar and Gringotts both striking at the elite level in 2025.
"Per Incanto is leading as far as the numbers in our draft," Williams said. "He's had a wonderful last two or three years. He's fifth in the Australian premiership at the moment. The Australians really have just gravitated towards him.
"Obviously, he has Jimmysstar, Evaporate, and Gringotts to the fore, but over the last couple of days, I've had a number of trainers telling me they've got a really exciting Per Incanto in their stable that hasn't even started yet. Now that is the most satisfying thing for me to hear from trainers."
Milan Park owner Tony Rider was also confident that the positive atmosphere around the complex would translate to strong results in the ring.
"We've got 17 horses in the draft," Rider told ANZ News. "I just had Bruce Slade over there, and he commented on the whole draft that it was probably the most consistent draft here at Karaka.
"You've got to take your hat off to NZB, Andrew Seabrook, and the team," he added. "There's a lot of faces here that I've never seen. They've really promoted it well. They've asked a lot of owners to keep their horses here. We do keep our horses here, but we've got fillies here that wouldn't normally be here, it's because it's the 100th year."
Cambridge Stud will offer 70 yearlings across both books, with owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay once again committing their entire draft to the National Yearling Sale.
Meanwhile, Irish-born, New Zealand-based bloodstock agent Ed Stapleton said excitement had been building steadily in the lead-up to the centenary sale. A frequent pinhooker, Stapleton said the sale continues to cater to a wide range of buyers, while underpinning NZB's successful Ready to Run Sale.
He said: "On the back of the Ready to Run sale's success last year, there's plenty of people who would be looking for trade horses. There's a lot of Australian trainers here, there's a lot of Hong Kong and Asian market interest, which don't typically come down, so that's great. I think most vendors are going to have a good time, so it is all positive."
