31 Jan 2017
The countdown to the New Zealand thoroughbred industry's most important week is on, as a host of the world's most prominent racehorse owners, agents and trainers descend on Auckland ahead of the 91st New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales Series at Karaka.
The vibrant Karaka Million twilight races at Ellerslie on Sunday herald the start of festivities, with Prime Minister Bill English set to officially open Karaka 2017 on Monday morning.
A total of 1347 yearlings will go under the hammer across three sales sessions as local and international buyers look to secure a future champion from the cream of the New Zealand thoroughbred crop.
Sir Patrick Hogan's Cambridge Stud will be vying to reclaim the mantle of leading vendor, with a quality offering at this year's sale.
Prior to Curraghmore claiming that title in 2013, followed by the recent dominance of Waikato Stud, Cambridge Stud had dominated the vendor aggregate list for 31 consecutive years.
"We have a draft that features a variety of the leading stallions in Australasia from the best maternal families that Cambridge Stud can offer," Sir Patrick Hogan said.
"We haven't left a single yearling at home from our 2015 foal crop with every one of them at the sale so we expect the breeding community to be excited about what we have to offer."
Hogan is hesitant to single out any particular yearling from his draft although he has an inkling that Lot 436, the filly by leading freshman sire Power from the Street Sense mare Superefficient along with Lot 130, the High Chaparral filly from Diamond Like will both attract their fair share of attention.
"Lot 436 is as nice a filly as you would find and is by a young stallion that has made a sensational start in Ireland and now New Zealand," he remarked.
"The Diamond Like filly is an absolute star and it wouldn't surprise me if she ended up in the top four or five that are sold." - NZ Racing Desk