NZB Karaka Yearling Sale
Snitzel kingpin again as Waller and Mulcaster snare $850,000 colt at Karaka
Tayla Dyke
ANZ News
Snitzel’s (Redoute’s Choice) sale-ring dominance came to the fore during the opening session of the New Zealand Bloodstock (NZB) Karaka Yearling Sale, with a colt by the late Arrowfield Stud stallion out of dual New Zealand Group 1 winner Amarelinha (Savabeel) topping trade on Sunday.
Knocked down late in the session, Cambridge Stud’s offering became the day’s headline act after a spirited two-way bidding duel, with the hammer eventually coming down in Chris Waller and Guy Mulcaster’s favour at $850,000, with the agent bidding from his customary position in the buyers’ box above the ring.
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The colt is the second foal out of Te Akau’s 2020-21 New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Amarelinha, whose career featured victories in the New Zealand Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m), David and Karyn Ellis Classic (Gr 2, 2000m), Eight Carat Classic (Gr 2, 1600m) and Sunline Vase (Gr 3, 2100m). His extended family also includes Group 3-winning stallions Sweet Ride (Deep Field) and North Pacific (Brazen Beau), as well as triple Group 1 winner Metal Bender (Danasinga).
“He is a beautiful colt by champion sire Snitzel out of a New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year, Amarelinha,” Mulcaster said. “I had a really good client who wanted to buy a good colt today, and he's hopefully going to buy some good fillies tomorrow, so fingers crossed.
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“He was a horse we saw early, and he just stayed in my mind. We were lucky enough to take the man to see him today, and he behaved really well. Buying off Cambridge Stud, you can't go wrong.”
Reflecting on the day’s trade, Mulcaster said the market allowed buyers to be selective.
“We have been able to pick and choose what we've been buying today and we've done pretty well. I think we've got half a dozen so far, and we've got quite a long list, so we'll see how we go tomorrow.”
For Cambridge Stud, the result carried additional emotional significance, with Amarelinha - who they bought for $1.1 million on Gavelhouse Plus in 2022 - having died shortly after foaling this colt in November 2024.
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Scott Calder said: “It is an awesome result for our stud, which equals the highest price we have achieved since Brendan and Jo bought Cambridge Stud from Sir Patrick [Hogan].
“By Snitzel from a Classic winner, the bidding was crazy but exciting. Some have asked if the Lindsays might keep him since he is the last foal from Amarelinha but they race fillies so they were happy to sell.”
Mulcaster and Waller were busy during the first session of trade in New Zealand, buying five lots for $1,710,000, an aggregate bettered only by Te Akau supremo David Ellis, who spent $3,150,000 yearlings.
At the close of trade, NZB reported 207 yearlings had found new homes at a clearance rate of 77 per cent. The day one aggregate finished at $38,197,500, a 43 per cent increase year-on-year, while the average rose 13 per cent to $184,529 and the median closed at $140,000, up 16.5 per cent on the same session 12 months ago.
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NZB’s director and head Auctioneer Mike Kneebone summarised the first day of trade at the refreshed Book 1 sale.
"We've taken on a massive challenge of selling across long nine hour days. To take that risk, condensing the catalogue, it's very rewarding to see the Sale start so well.
“We were lucky enough to take the man to see him today, and he behaved really well
"There are so many good horses spread across so many good stud farms. The first 20 horses were remarkable, and that flow continued all day.
"To have 19 horses make $400,000 or more on the first day, when last year there was 26 in total, it indicates how well the Sale is travelling and a very healthy middle market.
"As we know the second day is when everyone has their eye in. A lot of people came here today to buy a horse and they are still waiting.
"There has been great feedback about the refreshed format and having all the Book 2 horses on the ground early.
"It's also great to see both Australia and Hong Kong so active, and the Kiwis really stepping up. The clearance rate will continue to improve overnight, and we look forward to another strong day tomorrow."
Sale statistics after day one
2026 |
2025* |
|
|---|---|---|
Catalogued |
290 |
250 |
Offered |
270 |
223 |
Sold |
207 (77%) |
163 (73%) |
Aggregate |
$38,197,500 (+43%) |
$26,665,000 |
Average |
$184,529 (+13%) |
$163,589 |
Median |
$140,000 (+16.5%) |
$120,000 |
Top Lot |
$850,000 |
$725,000 |
*after day one
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Walls reinvests into familiar family
Momentum built rapidly through the middle of the session as bidding intensified, with a cluster of elite yearlings selling for more than $600,000 in a busy ten-minute stretch.
At the head of affairs was a colt by Waikato Stud’s emerging sire Super Seth (Dundeel). He is out of the unraced Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) mare Rozala, a daughter of 2009-10 New Zealand Champion 3YO Katie Lee (Pins), who famously became the first horse in history to complete the New Zealand 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) double in 2009.
Rozala is a half-sister to the dam of Eskimo Prince Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) winner Public Attention (Written Tycoon).
The colt drew strong competition from many buyers, but KPW Bloodstock were able to secure him for $675,000 on behalf of Ron and Judy Wanless. Agent Kevin "Millie" Walls, of KPW Bloodstock, was buying to the family for the second time having secured the colt’s Hello Youmzain half-brother for $100,000 at last year’s sale.
“We buy on type, and we actually bought the half-brother last year,” Walls said. “He’s won a jump-out for us, so we know he goes nicely. This was an outstanding colt, one of the best-moving colts on the complex, and Ronnie put his hand up — I said no, but he kept going.”
“We have been breeding from this line for generations now, and it seems every year or two another good one pops up. It’s been so good to us
The colt was offered and bred by Hallmark Stud, and Mark Baker was delighted with the result.
“‘The family strikes again,” he told ANZ News. “We have been breeding from this line for generations now, and it seems every year or two another good one pops up. It’s been so good to us.
“Judging from the underbidders, he drew some serious interest and we’re over the moon. He was on the market at $100,000 because you never know with auctions. I was fairly sure he’d fly that, and I thought maybe $400,000.
“The colt loved being here. His best attribute is his brain, but he’s also a lovely mover — balanced and correct — and he has a beautiful head.”
Earlier in the day, Walls went to $300,000 to secure Lot 17, a filly by Cambridge Stud’s talented sire Sword Of State (Snitzel) out of Oceans Eight (Ocean Park). Her second dam, Ruud Van Slaats (Van Nistelrooy), was a dual Group 2 winner and produced three black-type performers.
“She’s a filly from another family I know well,” Walls said. “I thought she was lovely. Fillies from that family are hard to get, so Judy’s going to have a lot of fun racing her.”
Sword Of State has made a good start with his first runners this season. The son of Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) has sired three winners, headed by Debutant Stakes (Listed, 1000m) scorer Torture, who finished third in the Karaka Millions 2YO (RL, 1200m) and is being considered for Group 1 targets this season.
During the first session, the Cambridge Stud resident had nine yearlings sell for an aggregate of $1,905,000 at an average of $211,667.
Yulong go the distance for Grunt’s half-brother
Gai Waterhouse, Adrian Bott and Bruce Slade’s Kestrel Thoroughbreds made their presence felt on the opening day of Karaka, parting with $820,000 for three yearlings.
However their most expensive purchase came when they combined with Yulong for a $600,000 colt by Rich Hill’s one-time champion sire, Proisir (Choisir).
Offered by Cherry and Brent Taylor’s Trelawney Stud, the colt out of Ruqqaya (Van Nistelrooy), making him a half-brother to Matriarch Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) winner Zayydani (Savabeel) and Group 1 winner and emerging sire Grunt (O’Reilly), who stands at Yulong’s Nagambie farm.
Walls, who had secured the previous lot, was underbidder on the colt.
Yulong COO Sam Fairgray said the similarities to Grunt were immediately apparent.
“When we looked at him, we thought he was very similar to Grunt,” he said. “He’s a great-moving horse with a good physical, so I’m really pleased to be taking him home.”
With Grunt continuing to gain traction at stud, Fairgray said the colt could one day follow a similar path
He said: “Grunt is certainly working away. He’s had two Group 1 winners and is consistently getting winners, so hopefully his brother can be as good and, ideally, end up in the covering barn like Grunt.
“He’s a lovely, big-framed horse and a great mover, and you’re going to see him keep improving all the time. We’ll get him back to Australia and Gai and Adrian will train him — it’s exciting.”
Fresh off Well Written’s dominant Karaka Millions 3YO (RL, 1600m) triumph, Fairgray was upbeat about the filly’s future and said Australia is now on her agenda.
“She was super impressive, and Stephen Marsh thought she’d improved off her first run — and she certainly did that yesterday,” he said, “There were plenty of good judges who felt it was one of the most impressive performances in New Zealand for a long, long time.
“I definitely think she’ll go to Australia. There are plenty of options over there for her, so we’ll get through The Kiwi and then see whether Stephen wants to come over in late autumn to give her a bit of travelling experience.”
Ruqqaya’s yearlings who have come under the hammer at public auction have generated close to $2 million in receipts, including the $400,000 given by Lindsay Park and Cambridge Stud for her Hello Youmzain (Kodiac) colt at last year’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
Out of Sayyida (Zabeel), Ruqqaya is a half-sister to multiple Group 1-winning champion and successful sire Ocean Park (Thorn Park), as well as the dam of Group 2 winners Excelida (Exceed And Excel) and Shanwah (Too Darn Hot).
The result was especially poignant for Trelawney, given the years invested in cultivating the family.
“Sayyida, the colt’s granddam, is still with us,” Brent Taylor told ANZ News. “She’s 25 and I say hello to her every day. Sayyida has been so important to Cherry and me — she was one of the first, if not the first, horses we raced, and it was an opportunity lost when she broke her leg as Derby favourite. She was a very talented mare.
“As a matron, she has been incredible through her own foals and her daughters. She has done us proud and is the most important mare in our stud’s history.”
“Sayyida has been so important to Cherry and me — she was one of the first, if not the first, horses we raced
Having sold Grunt for $220,000 at the 2016 renewal of the sale, Taylor said he saw similarities between the half-brothers.
“The colt is almost a spitting image of Grunt,” he said. “He has thrived since arriving here and handled the pressure of the sale well. He’s pretty laid-back and took it all in his stride due to his nature. From the time he was born, he was a beautiful colt with fantastic movement.”
Trelawney enjoyed further success later in the session with two more yearlings from the same branch of the family.
A colt by Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) out of Ruqqaya’s Group 2-winning daughter Zayydani (Savabeel) sold for $450,000 to Waterhouse and Bott Racing, Darby Racing and Kestrel Thoroughbreds. A few lots later, a filly by So You Think (High Chaparral) out of another of Ruqqaya’s daughters, Listed-placed Addison (Jimmy Choux), was purchased by Dabernig Racing and Pinhook Bloodstock International for $280,000.
Overall on day one, Trelawney sold nine yearlings for a total receipts of $2,560,000 at average of $284,444.
Anamoes prove popular
Yearlings from the debut crop of Darley’s new sire Anamoe continued to attract major interest, and the headline act of his three to sell during the opening session at Karaka was Cambridge Stud’s colt who was snapped up by Mulberry Racing for $650,000.
The youngster is out of Group 3 placegetter Save The Date (Savabeel) and comes from a family which includes multiple Group 1-winning globetrotter and sire Starcraft (Soviet Star), as well as Saturday’s Aotearoa Classic (Gr 3, 1600m) winner Tuxedo (Tivaci).
Lachlan Sheridan, the grandson of Mulberry owner and tech billionaire Michael Gregg, who manages the day-to-day running of the operation, said securing an Anamoe colt had been their main aim.
“He’s also got a really good head on him, so we were pretty happy to push the boat out and secure him
He said: “The sire was a pretty outstanding racehorse, and his progeny so far from the Magic Millions through to Karaka have all looked pretty good
“He was a nice, strong colt and we really liked him from the first inspection. He’s also got a really good head on him, so we were pretty happy to push the boat out and secure him. I know he was pretty well found in the market, but we were lucky enough to get him.”
Set to be trained by Brad Widdup, Sheridan indicated the colt would be given time.
“I think he’s a horse who looks like he’ll probably get out over a bit of ground. We’re not in the business of rushing them at all, so we’ll definitely take all the time he needs. He’ll get to the trials and then the races when he’s ready,” he said.
Having proved very popular at the Gold Coast, momentum behind Anamoe continued into Karaka. He had three yearlings sell for a gross of $1,425,000, while his average of $475,000 saw him top the sire leaderboard by that metric.
Anamoe’s next best result came when Ryan Fownes, who was acting on behalf of his father, Hong Kong-based trainer Caspar, secured Wentwood Grange’s colt for $500,000.
The younger is out of the unraced I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) mare Veronica Jane, a sister to New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Media Sensation and a half-sister to Listed scorer On Display (Fastnet Rock).
“We only saw him on the grounds this morning, but he made an impression at first glance. The colt has a great temperament, which is necessary in Hong Kong,” Caspar Fownes told ANZ News. “He has plenty of scope.
“We can sometimes be a bit wary of first-season sires, but they sold exceptionally well on the Gold Coast, which gave us confidence to give him a go. He’s well worth his chance. We thought he might make around $350,000, but he’s such a nice colt that we kept going.”
Stand-out Savabeel goes for $550,000
Progeny by Waikato’s ten-time champion sire Savabeel (Zabeel) also proved highly sought after, with Lot 259 selling for $550,000 to Shijiazhuang Hongtao Horse Breeding.
The grey colt is the first foal out of British-bred mare Allemande (Sea The Moon), from a family rich in black type, including Group 1 performer Albaflora (Muhaarar).
NZB’s Alex Teng, speaking on behalf of the new owner, Mr Hongtao, said the colt had stood out early.
“I saw the colt at the Cambridge Stud parade and recommended him to our client, who races and breeds horses in China,” Teng said. “Mr Hongtao was here at the Ready To Run Sale last November and was keen to buy a Savabeel before it’s too late.
“He looked solid and speedy and is a good-looking colt. It is anticipated that he will remain in New Zealand and have his early races here.”
Cambridge Stud’s Scott Calder, who consigned the colt, was pleased to see him head into an international programme.
“Alex has bought a lovely colt for his client, and we are delighted they chose one of ours,” Calder said. “He is a beautiful specimen, particularly when you consider he is a first foal. John Foote found the mare for us, so she is off to a wonderful start.”
The final session of Book 1 will get under way at 10am (local time).
