Karaka sales dates set to be confirmed
Karaka sales dates set to be confirmed
New Zealand Bloodstock managing director Andrew Seabrook yesterday confirmed that the date for the 2021 National Yearling Sales at Karaka will be announced on August 31.
In a statement released yesterday, the auction house said that if there are no updates as to whether Australian borders will reopen in time for the regular January timeslot, then the sale would be rescheduled for April.
“On behalf of New Zealand Bloodstock, I would like to give you a further update on the 2021 National Yearling Sales at Karaka,” Seabrook said in the statement sent out by the NZ Thoroughbred Breeders Association (NZTBA). “We believe that a trans-Tasman bubble is very important to the success of the Sale, and given the current outbreaks of COVID-19 in Victoria, a January Sale is looking more and more unlikely.
“After consulting a number of major breeders over the past few weeks and to give everyone some clarity going forward, we will be deciding the date of the Sale on August 31.
“If by August 31, there is no likelihood of our borders opening with Australia in January, we will move the National Yearling Sales to the week beginning Monday, April 19. Our NZB representatives continue to canvas trainers, owners and agents across Australia, all of whom have been enthusiastic about attending our Sale should it be in April.”
Seabrook called for the support of the industry and added that if the sale is rescheduled to April, NZB will hold an online yearling sale at the end of January.
“If we move our sales to April, I can assure you that we will be doing our absolute best to achieve great results,” he said. “But we need your support. We need as strong a catalogue as we possibly can to get the best buying bench to Karaka, physically and virtually.
“Our ability to assemble a strong buying bench will be affected if we lose top end yearlings to overseas sales companies. This in turn will have a negative impact on your other horses being sold at Karaka.
“So when deciding on where to sell your yearlings, think about the aggregate of your draft, not the average.”
New Zealand Bloodstock will also waive all offering fees at the 2021 yearling sales in order to support breeders and vendors.
“These are uncertain times for everyone I know, so as a gesture of goodwill to all our clients, New Zealand Bloodstock is going to waive all offering fees at the 2021 Yearling Sales,” Seabrook said.
“We are confident that we will make a well-considered decision around the date of our National Yearling Sale, that along with our improvements in technology and online bidding services will achieve the best possible results for you and your yearlings.”