The curtain came down on the final day of selling at NZB’s 99th National Yearling Sales Series with the last day of Book 2 continuing the trend of steady trade.
At the close of selling, the Book 2 session turned over $9,759,000 for 270 yearlings sold, with an average of $36,144 and a clearance rate of 76%.
NZB’s Managing Director Andrew Seabrook was pleased with the positive mood within the sales complex during the course of the week, while acknowledging a dip in the in the final figures.
“The figures don’t disguise the fact that there has been a softening in the market. The positive to come out of this Sale is the good increase in clearance rate.”
“We have seen a reduction in the average and median, compared with last year’s record Sale, which I think can be directly attributed to the state of the economy. It’s not at all reflective of the positivity that’s in the racing industry at the moment and the great vibe that’s been around all week.”
The top lot of the day came when Highden Park’s Lot 1079 was presented, a colt by popular stallion Satono Aladdin out of High Esteem, who sold for $150,000 to leading Book 2 purchaser John Foote.
“There are some lovely horses here. It’s not easy to buy them,” commented Foote who purchased eight yearlings for $750,000.
“Book 1 was tough to start with. We bid on 12 horses on Day One, and only got two. The good types and pedigrees are hard to buy here.”
“Even in Book 2, we bid on several more and still got beaten, so it’s not easy.”
Leading vendor of Book 2 was Westbury Stud with a 100% clearance rate and $1,174,500 in turnover, after earlier in the week announced they would offer their yearlings unreserved.
Ardsley Stud also cleared 100%, and led the average tables with $76,250 for four lots sold.
Windsor Park’s Shamexpress lead the sire tables by average with four lots being secured for an average of $97,500.
Attention now turns to the 2025 National Online Yearling Sale, taking place on Gavelhouse Plus with entries opening early February.
All yearlings purchased at Karaka 2025 are eligible to be nominated for NZB’s lucrative Karaka Millions Series, featuring the $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO, $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions 3YO and the $1m NZB Mega Maiden Series. To nominate your yearling, contact finance@nzb.co.nz or call +64 9 298 0055. Entries close Monday 3 March 2025.
To enquire about Passed Lots from Book 2 contact Patrick Cunningham on +64 21 181 5898 or email Patrick.Cunningham@nzb.co.nz, or Andrew Buick on +64 27 555 0640 or email Andrew.Buick@nzb.co.nz.
View the full Book 2 results here.
Catch the highlights and Lot-by-Lot footage from Book 2 here.
Karaka 2025: Book 2 Statistics (at end of selling)
| 2025 BOOK 2 TOTAL (new format) | 2024 BOOK 2 TOTAL | 2023 BOOK 2 TOTAL | 2022 BOOK 2 TOTAL | 2021 BOOK 2 TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGGREGATE | $9,759,000 | $11,444,000 | $11,516,000 | $10,036,000 | $8,853,000 |
| AVERAGE | $36,144 | $43,185 | $43,131 | $40,632 | $41,759 |
| MEDIAN | $26,750 | $32,500 | $32,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 |
| CLEARANCE | 76% | 70% | 71% | 64% | 76% |
| CATALOGUED | 427 | 443 | 435 | 466 | 339 |
| OFFERED | 354 | 377 | 375 | 384 | 277 |
| SOLD | 270 | 265 | 267 | 247 | 212 |
| TOP LOT | Lot 855 Satono Aladdin - Sparkling Rose (B.F) $260,000 | Lot 790 Time Test - Kerre (Br.C) $220,000 | Lot 789 Proisir - Harriet Wilson (G.C) $180,000 | Lot 1063 Tivaci - Short Tale (B.F) $250,000 | Lot 725 Churchill - Astrid (Ch.F) $200,000 |
Karaka 2025: Combined Statistics (at end of selling)
| 2025 COMBINED TOTAL | 2024 COMBINED TOTAL | 2023 COMBINED TOTAL | 2022 COMBINED TOTAL | 2021 COMBINED TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate | $86,061,500 | $91,842,000 | $82,091,500 | $74,382,500 | $60,996,500 |
| Average | $115,986 | $122,783 | $111,235 | $106,109 | $94,276 |
| Median | $80,000 | $90,000 | $80,000 | $70,000 | $62,500 |
| Clearance | 79% | 76% | 77% | 75% | 82% |
| Catalogued | 1088 | 1125 | 1079 | 1103 | 918 |
| Withdrawn | 146 | 141 | 121 | 156 | 127 |
| Offered | 941 | 984 | 958 | 947 | 791 |
| Passed | 199 | 236 | 220 | 246 | 144 |
| Lots Sold | 742 | 748 | 738 | 701 | 647 |
| Top Price | $2,400,000 | $1,600,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $800,000 |
Karaka 2025: Book 2 Day Two Top Lots
| Lot | Sire | Dam | Sex | Vendor | Purchaser | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1079 | Satono Aladdin | High Esteem | Colt | Highden Park | John Foote Bloodstock (Hong Kong) | $150,000. |
| 1061 | Satono Aladdin | Gerda | Colt | Seaton Park Ltd | Universal Bloodstock (Auckland) | $140,000. |
| 1082 | Shamexpress | High Tail It | Colt | Windsor Park Stud | Patella Bloodstock (Waikato) | $125,000. |
| 0981 | Shamexpress | Blinkie | Colt | Windsor Park Stud | Ben Kwok (Singapore) | $120,000. |
| 0964 | Shocking | Baltis | Colt | Leanach Lodge Ltd | Slade Bloodstock Pty Ltd/Lindsay Park Racing (VIC) | $115,000. |
| 0928 | Doubtland | Yatima | Colt | Milan Park | Upper Bloodstock (Hong Kong) | $110,000. |
| 0959 | Satono Aladdin | Attention Seeker | Filly | Curraghmore | Stephen Gray Racing Syndication (Manawatu-Whanganui) | $110,000. |
