New Zealand thoroughbreds make up only 5.5% of the racehorse population in
Australia, yet last season they won 18% of their Group 1 races.Four of the last six Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the richest weight for age race in Australia, have been won by kiwi breds while seven of the last 10 Doncaster and Australian Derby winners were produced in NZ.
The Australian Oaks and Group 1 Victoria Derbies have also been raided by NZ horses claiming four of the last five Oaks and six of the last 10 Derbies.
The statistics are testimony to the excellent start they receive and the success they have on the international stage, and with New Zealand Bloodstock's Ready to Run Sale of 2YOs fast approaching it is only fitting to look at the superstars that have been sourced at the Sale.
Recent Group 1 winner Gingernuts (NZ) (Iffraaj) triumphed on both sides of the Tasman last season beating some of the best Australian three-year-olds in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas.
Leading the way in the 2015-16
season were Mongolian Khan (Holy Roman Emperor)
who added the world-famous Caulfield Cup title to his pedigree and Turn Me Loose (NZ) (Iffraaj) who
stepped up to claim the Emirates Stakes and Futurity Stakes.These victories added to the unrivalled record of 19 Group 1 wins by alumni of the Sale in the last five seasons – our closest competitor had only one in that same time.
The quality that is offered at this Sale is well known to the international market with overseas buyers purchasing 77% of two-year-old's on offer last year. The Australian buying bench increased by $2.8 million when they secured 77 horses for over $10 million headed by Toby Koenig's TK Racing who purchased three horses for a total spend of $930,000.
A new wave of Victorian trainers are also crossing the ditch with the likes of Matt Laurie, Henry Dwyer, Shae Eden, Archie Alexander, and Adrian Bott attending the Sale last year. Kiwi-expats Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young have already had success at the Sale with dual Group 1 winner Sangster (NZ) (Savabeel).
The catalogue for this year's Sale has attracted 437 two-year-olds with 51 siblings to stakes winners and the progeny of 31 stakes winners. Lucrative bonus schemes are an added incentive for buyers, and this year we have 38 two-year-olds catalogued who are nominated for the enhanced Karaka Million Series, six fillies nominated for the Pearl Series, 128 horses that are BOBS eligible, 19 Super VOBIS nominated horses and one QTIS eligible horse.
Breeze Ups were conducted on the 16 & 17 October, and are available to view online, with the overall quality of horses emulating a strong catalogue on type set to be offered at Karaka on 22 & 23 November.
