Excitement Builds for 100th Karaka Yearling Sale

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 (US$51,369,920; NZ$1=US$0.60), 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 (AUS) 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."