Annual yearling sale at Karaka closes at nearly $70 million
Sales drew to a close last night for this year’s National Yearling Sales Series at Karaka, which tallied $69.66 million.
That’s $2.74 million down from last year’s sales, but organiser NZ Bloodstock posted a 78% clearance rate, the highest in six years.
The six-day event saw the sale of 959 yearlings throughout the premier, select and festival auctions.
The average and median sales were up from last year. The average rose from $70,899 to $72,630. Median rose from $40,000 to $45,000, a 12.5% increase.
Sire Fastnet Rock was responsible for the top four horses with Cambridge Stud selling the top colt to Rogerson Bloodstock of Hamilton for $800,000. The leading sire was responsible for 16 sales overall, totaling $5.64 million.
The top buyer was David Ellis of Te Akau Racing who purchased 43 lots totaling $6.81 million.
Domestic buyers had a strong showing with three of the top five yearlings from New Zealand buyers.
Other buyers came from Australia, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, UK and Western Samoa.
Waikato Stud beat out Sir Patrick Hogan’s Cambridge Stud for the first time, selling 65 lots for $8.87 million.
Super-sire Zabeel whose retirement was announced late last year, tallied $3.79 million with 20 lots sold.