‘We weren’t really left with any option but to move the sale to March’
New Zealand Bloodstock delays 2022 Karaka Yearling Sale in hope to have international buyers at Auckland auction
Next year’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka will be delayed until March, the first time it has not been staged in its traditional late January timeslot for more than three decades, in the hope more favourable domestic and international border travel restrictions will be in place.
NZB yesterday confirmed the significant move of sale date, forced upon the company due to the uncertainty over the reinstatement of a travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand as well as local province restrictions, in a bid to avoid having only a domestic buying bench on the ground for a second year in a row.
Andrew Seabrook, NZB’s managing director, has canvassed vendors and buyers in recent weeks about the prospect of delaying the sale as it became increasingly apparent that a January date would prove difficult to confidently plan for.
“We thought we’d put the stick in the sand now and make the call. Obviously there is an internal and external issue,” Seabrook told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday.
“Internally, the borders here are up in the air between different provinces and we can’t even have an event here at Karaka for the foreseeable future, so we weren’t really left with any option but to move to March.
“Hopefully the border will be open to at least Australia by then. If it does, we’re expecting a good turnout of Australians, and (the decision) has been well supported by vendors and it’s onwards and upwards and we hope for some good news soon (regarding borders).”
Normally held soon after the season-opening Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, the NZB’s six-day Book 1 and 2 Karaka sale will now be staged from March 6 to 11, placing it between the Inglis Melbourne Premier (February 27 to March 1) and the Magic MIllions Adelaide Yearling Sale (March 15 and 16).
Seabrook informed his Australian counterparts, Inglis and Magic Millions, about the shift in date shortly before making the decision public.
“I have just communicated via email with Inglis and Magic Millions and I’ve had an email back from (Inglis’) Sebastian Hutch wishing us all the best and he understands the trying times that we are facing and he was supportive of our move to that March date even though it is on the back of Melbourne and running into Adelaide,” he said.
“However, that was the only week in February or March where we could have had the sale because you need a week clear before and then a week clear afterwards in consideration for the other sales.”
The last time Karaka was conducted away from its late January timeslot was 1990 when it was brought forward to early in the New Year to avoid a clash with the Commonwealth Games in Auckland.
Hallmark Stud’s Mark Baker, the leading Book 1 vendor by average at the 2021 Karaka sale, commended NZB for making the early call to push the key auction back by six weeks.
The breeder has 19 yearlings set for Book 1 and another four to be offered during the Book 2 auction.
“We already had some (yearlings) in, so it is rugs off and they’re back in the paddock. It’s actually good because a lot of them have already had education and been through the boxes and started their prep,” Baker said.
“We have just got to do everything in our powers to have Australians here and, knowing how things change daily with our government, we have more of a chance of Aussies being here in March than in January.”
Baker is now contemplating spending some time at the beach over the Christmas-New Year period instead of overseeing the yearlings’ daily sale preparation regime and he even suggested a permanent shift in date if the Karaka auction proved a success.
“As a leading vendor said to me the other day, and he’s quite right, just because we’ve always held it in January doesn’t mean that it’s right,” Baker said.
“(Having a summer break) is something we’ve never been able to do because it’s been full noise over Christmas-New Year all our lives.
“It will be quite unique to maybe have a few days off for us and our team, so it’ll be good.”
One of the arguments for Karaka being so early on the sales calendar has been ensuring vendors have the opportunity to market to buyers before they’ve had the chance to purchase yearlings at a number of Australian auctions such as the Inglis Classic, Melbourne Premier and Adelaide sales.
Hallmark studmaster Baker was not so concerned about that potential downside, though.
“Our horses box way above their weight and if you have nice enough horses, honestly, it won’t matter where they’re sold and in what part of the calendar,” he said.
“Good judges will find them and you’ll get money.”
Seabrook was also confident the country’s reputation for producing high-quality horses – the New Zealand-bred and raised ten-time Group 1 winner Verry Elleegant (Zed) won Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) – would draw buyers to the March sale.
“I reckon the past 12 to 18 months has been like the good old days. It’s been really positive and that win (by Verry Elleegant) was just the icing on the cake. I am sure the performance of the Kiwi horses in Australia is going to rub off on the sale.”
NZB had contemplated pushing this year’s auction back to April but in the end, after consultation with vendors and buyers, stuck with its late January starting date where the company conducted what the majority of stakeholders deemed to be a satisfactory auction.
“This year sticking with January was easy because there were no vaccinations. If we’d moved to March or April this year, the borders could have been closed at a whim. The (travel) bubble between New Zealand and Australia started, but it could have been shut down, as we witnessed later in the year,” Seabrook continued.
“We knew January could work and it did, but we’ve got the internal situation where, at the moment, I can’t even go to the Ready to Run Sale in Hamilton.
“Our (New Zealand-bred) horses have been going so well and I know the Australians are very keen to get here, so we wanted to give them every opportunity to be able to do so.”
Baker reiterated the importance of having an Australian buying bench alongside New Zealand’s owners and trainers.
“We expected a 30 per cent dip this year, at least, but having said that, the sale held up well,” he said.
“We ended up being the leading vendor on average, so we had a fantastic sale ourselves. It was a real relief to us all, but the question must be asked, if Aussies were able to get here, how strong might it have been?”
Despite the change in the sale schedule, the Karaka Million twilight race meeting at Ellerslie, which has been used as a lead-in to the sale, will remain as planned with the rich two-year-old feature race and undercard to be run on Saturday, January 22.
NZB’s immediate focus is the Ready to Run Sale, which has been relocated to Te Rapa on November 17 and 18 due to Covid restrictions.
Inglis held its two-year-old auction, the Ready2Race Sale, last month while Magic Millions will hold its version on the Gold Coast on Monday.
2022 Australasian sales calendar
Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
January 11 to 17
Inglis Classic Yearling Sale
February 6, 7 and 8
Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale
February 14 and 15
Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale
February 21
Inglis Premier Yearling Sale
February 27 to March 1
NZB Karaka Yearling Sale
Book 1 Sale: Sunday, March 6 – Tuesday 8 March, starting at 11am (NZT) each day.
Book 2 Sale: Wednesday 9 – Friday 11 March, starting at 11am (NZT) each day.
Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale
March 15 and 16
Magic Millions March Yearling Sale
March 21 and 22
Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale
April 5 and 6
Inglis Gold Yearling Sale
April 21 and 22
Inglis HTBA May Yearling Sale
May 1 and 2
Inglis Australian Weanling Sale
May 5
Inglis Chairman’s Sale
May 6
Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale
May 8
Magic Millions National Weanling Sale
May 19 and 20
Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale
May 24 to 26
Magic Millions National Yearling Sale
May 31 to June 2
Inglis Great Southern Sale
June 9 and 10