The 2026 NZB National Yearling Sales (January 25-29) offers buyers the cream of the New Zealand crop and in the weeks leading up to the sale we’ll go looking for pedigrees of interest for a myriad of reasons.
Last Saturday produced two major catalogue updates and you can track them all at Breednet through our Karaka sale update page, click here.
Every vendor loves to take a horse to the sale that has a sibling on the up and Waikato Stud and Wentwood Grange would have been feeling pretty happy on Sunday night!
Lot 467 from Waikato Stud is a Savabeel colt from winning Pins mare Happily.
The catalogue says this is the fourth foal for Happily, who has had one foal to race and it turns out that foal is Ammirati.
A three year-old Savabeel colt, Ammirati won the Group III Wellington Stakes on Sunday, read about him here.
Lot 114 from Wentwood Grange is an Almanzor (Fr) colt from Shanzam, who has had four foals to race all winners and the best of them is high class Almanzor mare Mary Shan.
She was multiple Group placed before last weekend and had the bridesmaid look, but in the Group III Great Northern Challenge Stakes at Ellerslie she became the bride when downing NZ Horse of the Year El Vencedor, read about her here.
A century of thoroughbred excellence has shaped the National Yearling Sale, from guineas to dollars, Trentham to Karaka and Wrightsons to NZB.It is the beating heart of trade within the New Zealand breeding and racing industry, where breeder meets buyer, where years of careful planning and preparation meets astute judgement and ambition.
All yearlings purchased are eligible for the Karaka Millions Series featuring the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), followed by the $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) as well as the NZB Mega Maiden Bonus Series with $1m in bonuses up for grabs across 40 maiden races each season.
