Stellar Sires at Karaka 2020

Media Release - Tuesday January 7

Superstar stallions have lit up racetracks on both sides of the Tasman this season, and now their yearlings are set to impress at Karaka 2020.

Buyers at Karaka will have access to the progeny of nine of the top 10 stallions on the 2019-20 New Zealand sires’ premiership, and nine of the top 10 on the Australian table.

New Zealand

Darci Brahma

A thoroughly deserving table-topper in New Zealand this season is Darci Brahma (NZ). Himself a Karaka sale-topper at $1.1 million back in 2004, the son of Danehill won five Group One races before retiring to The Oaks Stud.

There are 12 Darci Brahma yearlings in Book 1 of Karaka 2020, and another eight in Book 2. They include Lot 139, who is a full-sister to Harlech, and Lot 108, who is out of Group One winner Miss Raggedy Ann (NZ) (Faltaat).

Savabeel

In the unusual position of second on the table is the superstar Savabeel, the undisputed king of New Zealand’s current stallions. The Waikato Stud titan has won the Grosvenor Award (champion New Zealand sire) for five consecutive seasons, as well as the Dewar and Centaine Awards for Australasian and worldwide earnings four times each.

There are 74 well-bred Savabeel yearlings in the catalogue for Book 1. They include the progeny of Group One-winning mares Shez Sinsational (NZ) (Ekraar), Sofia Rosa (NZ) (Makfi) and Valley Girl (NZ) (Mastercraftsman), while Lot 454 is out of a full-sister to Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) and Royal Ascot Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m) winner Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock).

Per Incanto

He has sired 18 individual stakes winners, including three at the elite level.

Per Incanto sits in third place on the New Zealand sires’ premiership this season with 35 winners, lifting his overall total to 131 from 219 runners.

Karaka 2020 will showcase 14 Per Incanto yearlings in Book 1 and 21 in Book 2. Lot 403 is the second foal out of the dual Group One winner Xanadu (NZ) (Elusive City).

Showcasing

There should be plenty of interest in the Karaka yearlings by the fourth-placed stallion on the New Zealand premiership – the final southern hemisphere crop of Showcasing.

Showcasing’s final season shuttling to New Zealand produced 74 foals, with 24 set to go through the ring in Karaka 2020 – three in Book 1, 19 in Book 2 and two in Book 3. Lot 28 is a half-brother to the Singapore Gold Cup winner Bahana (NZ) (Elusive City).

The other leading New Zealand sires this season who will feature at Karaka 2020 include the internationally proven Tavistock (NZ), who sadly died at Cambridge Stud last month, plus top-quality shuttler Iffraaj, Swiss Ace, Rip Van Winkle and Zed (NZ).