NZ National Yearling Sale celebrates 100 years
Part 3 of Lloyd Jackson’s three-part series to mark a century of selling for New Zealand’s auction house
The sires
Through until 1990 the history of the National Yearling Sale, the leading sires, especially by average, had a profound influence on vendor statistics. Kotatanui Stud’s Limond (Desmond) was the most popular at the early sales and Beau Pere (Son-In-Law) was prominent in the late 1930s, but only stood in New Zealand for three seasons, yet made a huge impact as twice Champion Sire. He was sold to Australia where he was Champion Sire three times and later sold again to stand in California.
Trelawney Stud’s Foxbridge (Foxlaw) was the clear sales leader until 1950 as he racked up 11 successive New Zealand Champion Sire titles. As a broodmare sire he added a further 11 titles, such was his impact on the racing scene as well as the breeding scene.
In relation to the National Yearling Sales, Ra Ora Stud’s Gabador (Pharis) was the leading sire by average three times during the mid 1950s. The next sire to lead the averages multiple times was Kinross Stud’s Summertime (Precipitation) with four in succession. Between 1967 and 1976 Trelawney Stud was again prominent due to six titles by Alcimedes (Alycidon).
Te Parae Stud’s Oncidium (Alcide) led back-to-back in 1974 and 1975, then returned again in 1977 when his last crop averaged four times the overall sale average.
Phenomenal sire Zephyr Bay (Biscay) suffered fertility issues so his stock were rare meaning that buyers were extra keen to secure one his yearlings. With so few, this led to his topping the sire average in 1978, 1980 and 1982, his run interrupted by Zamazaan (Exbury) in 1979 and by Sovereign Edition (Sovereign Path) in 1981.
From 1983 through to 1995 saw the complete and utter domination by Sir Tristram (Sir Ivor). Within that period Imposing (Todman) headed him twice (1983 and 1984) while Australian-based Bletchingly (Biscay) was the leader in 1991 and 1993. From that point is when the sire industry changed dramatically as shuttle stallions and transporting yearlings from one country to another became commonplace.
Despite the fact that Sir Tristram’s son Zabeel sired ten lots that fetched $1 million or more, Zabeel topped the average just once, in 2011. Zabeel still holds the record as sire of the most expensive lot ever sold at the National Sale. Don Eduardo (Zabeel), the Group 1 Australian Derby winner, fetched $3.6 million at the 2000 sale. Zabeel had large numbers of yearlings through the ring making it practically impossible to match high–profile sires such as Danehill (Danzig) and Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) who may have been represented by as few as three lots.
Danehill led from 1997 until 2005 and he was superseded by his son Redoute’s Choice from 2006 until 2010. High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells) led in 2013 but since 2014, except for 2021, every average was led by Australian-based sires.
Fastnet Rock (Danehill) was successful from 2013 to 2015. Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) and I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) took turns in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 followed by American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile) in 2020.
Waikato Stud’s Savabeel (Zabeel) suffered a similar fate to Zabeel, scoring the leader by average title just once, in 2021. The last four years the topping of the averages went to The Autumn Sun (Redoute’s Choice), Pierro (Lonhro), Snitzel and Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj).
One fantastic statistic deserves exposure. Sir Tristram sired 130 stakes winners in his astonishing career. Zabeel surpassed his sire with 166 individual stakes winners while Zabeel’s son Savabeel has reached a total of 154 stakes winners. New Zealand has never seen such a successful continuation of lineage. It is happening before our eyes.
Mum’s the word
Every yearling has a sire and a dam and a number of dams made significant contributions to the National Sale. From the Best Performers catalogue, three mares foaled two Best Performers each.
Expense (Paper Money) left the outstanding Defaulter (Defoe), the winner of 22 of his 28 starts. Defaulter was named due to a hitch in the bidding at the 1937 sale. The colt was knocked down for 170gns but the buyer reneged, suggesting to the auctioneer that his bid was 165gns. The auctioneer shook his head and put Defaulter back on the market. His premier wins were the Great Northern Derby and in the same season, the Wellington Cup. Defaulter was never beaten at weight-for-age. From the 1942 sale emerged Expanse (Bulanshar) who, like his half-brother landed the Great Northern Derby and later in his career, the Group 1 Auckland Cup.
Otetanui, like Expense, a daughter of Paper Money (Greenback), produced two Best Performers which were sold at consecutive sales in 1944 and 1945. Bruce (Royal Chief) won 11 times in his native New Zealand but saved his best effort for Sydney when taking out the Group 1 Cumberland Stakes, a race now run as the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Also by Royal Chief (Chief Ruler), Bruce’s brother Royal Tan was successful in the Group 2 New Zealand Derby and as a five-year-old, the Group 1 Wellington Cup, two of his 11 career wins.
Nereid (Neptune), herself a graduate of the 1947 National Sale, produced the 1952 sale’s Best Performer, Fox Myth (Foxbridge) who caused a boilover in the Great Northern Derby at 50-1. As a five-year-old he added the Wellington Cup in a career of ten wins. His half-brother, Best Performer Sometime (Summertime), was the first purchase by Bart Cummings, from the 1960 National Sale. Cummings trained him to win 22 races including the Group 1 Caulfield Cup and the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes. In 1964 Cummings went back to the well and purchased the great Galilee (Alcimedes) whose dam Galston (Balloch) was a half-sister to Fox Myth and Sometime.
Thoroughbred families also made their mark throughout the National Sale’s history. Early sales saw highly sought-after yearlings from the great matriarch and New Zealand Hall of Fame inductee Eulogy (Cicero), The same was true of her daughters and granddaughters. The Bart Cummings-trained Red Handed (Le Filou), winner of the 1967 Melbourne Cup and a graduate of the 1964 sale, is a direct descendant of Eulogy. Hong Kong star Beauty Generation (Road To Rock) who is also a direct descendant of Eulogy.
Sunbride (Tai-Yang), the dam of three Group 1 winners, including 1954 Best Performer Straight Draw (Faux Tirage), also foaled high–class runners Ilumquh (Sabaean) and General Command (Agricola). As well as two New Zealand Broodmare of the Year titles, Sunbride was also inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame. She was at the centre of high–profile sales including the sale-topper in 1963. Sunbride’s daughter Bridesmaid (Agricola) foaled Gold Pulse (Oncidium), the first lot to sell for $100,000 in New Zealand, at the 1974 sale.
However, more recently, combining champions on the track and some of the highest prices through the ring, the family that stands out is that of Eight Carat (Pieces Of Eight), another New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame inductee and three times awarded the New Zealand Broodmare of the Year title. The only mares inducted in the New Racing Hall of Fame are Eulogy, Sunbride and Eight Carat.
Five lots to sell for at least $1 million are direct descendants of Eight Carat, of which four topped the sale. The Best Performer from the 1994 sale, Octagonal (Zabeel), is a son. The all-time sales record holder, sold for $3.6 million in 2000, Don Eduardo (Zabeel), is a grandson. Antwerp (Sir Tristram), who topped the sale in 1990, is also a grandson. Re track results, Eight Carat foaled five Group 1 winners, namely: Diamond Lover (Sticks and Stones), Kaapstad (Sir Tristram), Marquise (Gold and Ivory), Octagonal and Mouawad (Zabeel).
Another family to have a major impact on the sales is the “Belle” family, established by James and Annie Sarten during the late 1930s when they bred Belle Fox (Foxbridge). In the intervening years the family has produced 125 stakes winners, including 27 Group 1 winners. A recent headline-grabber is Anamoe (Street Boss), a nine-time Group 1 winner whose first crop wowed last week’s Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
Also quite recent is Melody Belle (Commands), the Best Performer from the 2016 National Sale. Bred by the Sartens’ daughter Marie Leicester, Melody Belle recorded an astonishing 14 Group 1s. Two Golden Slipper Stakes winners, Belle Du Jour (Dehere) and Dance Hero (Danzero), are members of the amazing Belle family.
Cataloguing
The all-important sales catalogue has been presented in several formats. Until 1940 each lot was assigned its own page including a grid pedigree followed by a list of relatives and their brief race records. A paper shortage due to World War II rationing resulted in two lots per page, the pedigrees written in essay style, a format which remained in place until 1969.
Selling changed markedly in 1964 with the introduction of a system proposed by Fasig-Tipton’s Humphrey Finney at the 1963 NZTBA annual general meeting. Instead of selling by drafts the catalogue order was determined alphabetically according to each lot’s dam. This solved the problem of one day being stronger than another as all lots were treated equally. The letter “F” was drawn for 1964 and would advance five letters to “K” for 1965, and so on.
Major changes were instituted in 1970 for the first truly select sale. A panel of five were responsible for the final catalogue comprising 443 of 678 lots nominated. Each catalogue page featured the American-style tabulated stakes (black type) system.
Before compilation could start for the new format Pat O’Brien had to research 50 years of race results to find the major or principal races which qualified as stakes or black-type races. It is believed that New Zealand was the first country outside of North America to adopt this now universal format which is largely unchanged except that in 1982 the page size grew with the inclusion of a seven-line sire reference.