The pages of the Karaka 2024 catalogues are filled with the biggest names among stallion ranks on both sides of the Tasman.
Over 100 different sires will be represented during the Book 1 and Book 2 sessions, including premiership champions, award winners, and prolific producers of top-class racetrack performers.
Star Sires include:
SAVABEEL
Waikato Stud’s Savabeel has a well-earned reputation as the king of Karaka.
He has dominated New Zealand’s flagship yearling sale in recent seasons, earning Book 1 averages of $233,710 in 2023, $307,286 in 2022, $216,724 in 2021, $247,241 in 2020, $297,021 in 2019 and $261,066 in 2018.
Savabeel has sired three million-dollar yearlings at Karaka, along with another seven who have fetched $800,000 or more.
Some of his very best progeny have been secured from the Karaka sale ring, including Group One stars such as Probabeel (NZ), Lucia Valentina (NZ), Atishu (NZ), Sangster (NZ), Scarlett Lady (NZ), Savvy Coup (NZ), Mo’unga (NZ), Diademe (NZ), Cool Aza Beel (NZ), Noverre (NZ) and promising sire Embellish (NZ).
Savabeel’s accomplishments speak for themselves – eight New Zealand stallion premierships, seven Dewar Awards for combined progeny earnings in New Zealand and Australia, and the last eight consecutive Centaine Awards for total progeny earnings worldwide.
Savabeel’s 137 individual stakes winners include 32 at Group One level. During 2023 alone, he has been represented by Atishu in the Champions Stakes (2000m) and Queen of the Turf Stakes (1600m), I Wish I Win (NZ) in the TJ Smith Stakes (1200m), Major Beel (NZ) in the Australian Derby (2400m), and Skew Wiff (NZ) in the Tarzino Trophy (1400m).
Buyers will have access to 57 Savabeel yearlings in Book 1 of Karaka 2024, including:
- Lots 25 and 639 are both three-quarter siblings to the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) winner Hasahalo (NZ) (Savabeel).
- Lot 358 is a half-brother to multiple Group One performer Young Werther (NZ) (Tavistock), along with stakes placegetters Romantic Lady (NZ) (Power) and About Time (NZ) (American Pharoah).
- Lot 401 is a colt out of Shez Sinsational (NZ) (Ekraar), who won 12 races including four at Group One level. Shez Sinsational has followed up those racetrack heroics with three winners from her four foals to race so far, including the Group Two winner and Group One-placed Sinarahma (NZ) (Darci Brahma), along with the Group Three winner and Group One-placed House Of Cartier (Alamosa).
- Lot 479 is a daughter of the Group One-winning mare Thee Auld Floozie (NZ) (Mastercraftsman), whose daughter Just A Floozie (NZ) (I Am Invincible) was a highly impressive winner of her only start as a two-year-old last season, beating multiple subsequent black-type performers including Group One winner Molly Bloom (NZ) (Ace High).
- Lot 549 is a Waikato Stud filly whose pedigree page is soaked in high-quality black type. Close relatives include Group One winners Espiona (Extreme Choice), Glamour Puss (NZ) (Tale Of The Cat), Vision And Power (NZ) (Carnegie) and Steps In Time (Danehill Dancer).
- Lot 668 is a full-brother to the Group One Sistema Stakes (1200m) and $1m Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) winner Cool Aza Beel (NZ) (Savabeel), who now stands at Newhaven Park in New South Wales and has some of his first-crop yearlings going through the ring during Karaka 2024.
PROISIR
Savabeel’s eight-year reign as New Zealand’s champion sire was sensationally snapped in 2022-23 by Proisir.
The Rich Hill Stud stallion had an unprecedented season. His 47 winners from 89 runners on home soil included eight individual stakes winners, five of them at Group One level, and he became the first sire to ever reach $4m in total progeny earnings for a single New Zealand season.
His headline acts were a pair of exceptional fillies – both Karaka graduates – who won Group One races in both New Zealand and Australia.
Legarto (NZ) was a $90,000 purchase from Book 2 of Karaka 2021, and she earned more than $1m from a six-start season as a three-year-old that produced five wins. She was a dominant five-length winner of the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m), then headed to Melbourne and became the first New Zealand-trained winner of the Group One Australian Guineas (1600m).
Prowess (NZ) was bought for $230,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2021. Her three-year-old season included five consecutive black-type victories between January and March – the Group Two Auckland Guineas (1600m), $1m Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m), Group Two David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m), Group One Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2050m), and the Group One Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) in Sydney. She added another Australian feature this spring in the Group Two Crystal Mile (1600m) at Moonee Valley, lifting her career earnings past $1.6m.
Last season’s other Group One successes came from Dark Destroyer (NZ), Pier (NZ) and Legarto (NZ).
Buyers were quick to respond to Proisir’s remarkable run, snapping up all of his 19 yearlings in Book 1 of Karaka 2023 last January for a total of $3.59m and an average price of $188,947.
Karaka 2024 will showcase 35 of Proisir’s progeny in Book 1, with another three in the Book 2 session.
- Lot 21 is out of Donna Marie (NZ) (Don Eduardo), which makes her a full-sister to the top-class Prowess.
- Lot 187 is a colt out of Leigh Valley (NZ) (Bianconi), who won at Group Three level and has produced four winners including Group One winner Valley Girl (NZ) (Mastercraftsman).
- Lot 389 is closely related to the Group One winners Kovalica (NZ) (Ocean Park), (King) Mufhasa (NZ) (Pentire) and (The) Bostonian (NZ) (Jimmy Choux), along with a pair of Group-winning three-year-olds from last season – Sacred Satono (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) and Cheval D’Or (NZ) (Almanzor).
- Lot 396 is a half-sister to classy three-year-old Lupo Solitario (NZ) (Satono Aladdin), who has won three of his four starts including the recent Group Three Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m).
- Lot 480 is a half-sister to four black-type performers, including last season’s Group One Sistema Stakes (1200m) winner Ulanova (NZ) (Santos) and the Listed winner Steal My Kisses (I Am Invincible).
