Horse racing: Weekend wins set up lucrative hour at Karaka Sales

Asterix winning the Group1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby. Photo Trish Dunell

A magical Saturday has set one of New Zealand's most popular horse sellers up for a golden hour at the National Yearling sales this week.

The sales start at Karaka today, with over 1000 yearlings to be sold over six days, the most commercial in Book 1 from Monday to Wednesday.

While sales-ground attendance will be restricted to industry participants and potential buyers because of Covid-19 restrictions, the relaxing of border rules for Kiwis last week has seen many return home to try and secure local bloodstock with trainers like Trent Busuttin and Natalie Rasmussen, and Bjorn Baker flying in yesterday.

They will join other ex-pats like John Sargent and high-profile agents like Paul Moroney and Andy Williams who among others will push New Zealand bloodstock to overseas buyers.

The domestic market is also expected to be strong this week, buoyed by developments at Ellerslie which should be bedded in by the time the horses sold this week turn three.

In the days before any yearling sale the vendors in charge of preparing and ultimately selling the horses will cling on to even the most tenuous of boosts, happily touting that a yearling's brother won a trial last week so therefore their horse should be worth that little bit more.

But there is nothing tenuous about what unfolded for Gordon Cunningham's draft for Curraghmore on Saturday, with one of the biggest afternoons on the racing calendar turning into a giant advertisement for them.

Cunningham's farm will sell a filly sister to Vodafone Derby winner Asterix as lot 434 on Tuesday afternoon but remarkably the lot immediately before Lot 433 he will sell a half-brother to Saturday's Mufhasa Stakes winner and Karaka Million champion On The Bubbles.

That is even more remarkable because the pair aren't being sold two minutes apart because Cunningham prepares them both but by sheer fluke, as lot numbers are chosen alphabetically using the dam of the yearling's name.

As if that wasn't a dream for any vendor Cunningham's draft also contains Lot 414, an Ocean Park colt whose half-sister left Annavisto, winner of the group 3 Tressady Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.

That means within a few hours on Saturday all three yearling added to their value and will all be sold within the same hour late in Tuesday's session.

"It is pure magic to have those sort of results the weekend before the sale. Incredible," said Cunningham.

Cunningham wasn't the only vendor loving Saturday's action as Jamieson Park will on Monday sell a US Navy Flag half-sister to Inspirational Girl, who won the group 2 Blamey Stakes at Flemington beating Zaaki.

While many overseas visitors who would usually be at Karaka won't be there today because of travel restrictions New Zealand Bloodstock has one of the bloodstock world's best online selling platforms so prices should not be dramatically affected.

Coverage of the sales starts at 10.30am with the first of 186 lots to go through the ring today selling at 11am.

The sale will also be streamed into China, with translators being used for all six days of selling covering Book 2 through until next Saturday.