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King of Karaka counts down to one of his favourite racedays

Fresh from claiming the title of leading buyer at Karaka for the 18th time, Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis is turning his attention to one of his highlights of the racing calendar at Te Rapa this Saturday.Both Ellis and his wife Karyn Fenton-Ellis are former chairs of the Waikato Racing Club, and Te Rapa’s Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) and Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) raceday features a prestigious race named in honour of their contributions – the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillie...

Kiwi Chronicles - A week to remember

Not too long ago (2019) the scene at Cambridge Stud was somewhat bleak, the stud having lost three stallions: Tavistock (Montjeu), Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) and Burgundy (Redoute’s Choice), within months of each other.At the time it was difficult to imagine how the legacy of Sir Patrick Hogan might recover from such devastating blows but recover they have and it is a testament to the drive of Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay, in combination with great guidance from Henry Plumptre, that Camb...

Liguria adds another chapter to family story

Another chapter in the career of one of Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay’s most treasured broodmares was written at Ellerslie on Saturday when Liguria (Snitzel) won the Gr.3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (1200m).The Lance Noble-trained filly is a grand-daughter of Zonza, who was bred by the Lindsays nearly 20 years ago and has since established her own dynasty.In 2007 they sent their Gold Brose mare Sonet to champion Cambridge Stud stallion Zabeel, producing the filly who was to become Zonza....

Explosive family continues to produce for Muollo

Luigi Muollo has been involved with the family of his foundation mare Explosive for more than two decades, and it continues to produce for the Novara Park principal.On Saturday, Special Sakura (Staphanos), a fourth generation of a branch of that family, secured black-type when taking care of a handy field to win the Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m) at Ellerslie.Bred and raced by Muollo, Special Sakura’s victory was a great result for his Waikato farm, with the four-year-old mare becomi...

Patterson goes back-to-back in Lowland

Robbie Patterson looks to have another serious Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) contender on his hands following Ultimate Habit’s (Embellish) victory at Trentham on Saturday.The promising daughter of Embellish broke through for her maiden win in the Gr.2 Jennian Homes Lowland Stakes (2100m), a race Patterson won last year with Leicy Lucy before she won the Oaks, and he is looking forward to shooting for back-to-back wins in the Classic at its new home of Ellerslie ne...

Wrote To Arataki claims second Geoffrey Bellmaine

Seven-year-old mare Wrote To Arataki (Wrote) landed her second Gr.3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes (1200m) three years after her first, with a strong front-running success under Dean Yendall at Caulfield on Saturday.The Matthew Williams trained daughter of Wrote has competed in the race in four consecutive years, with fourth and third placings in the mare’s feature between her 2023 and 2026 victories.Wrote To Arataki had a length to spare over fellow Kiwi bred mare Damask Rose, with Bossy Beni...

Liguria takes out Ellerslie juvenile feature

Exciting filly Liguria (Snitzel) opened her winning account in fine style with a courageous victory at stakes level when she claimed the Gr.3 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (1200m) at Ellerslie.The impeccably bred daughter of Snitzel didn’t disgrace herself when finishing fourth on debut at the venue on Boxing Day and that experience stood her in good stead for Saturday’s juvenile feature that carries the name of the late New Zealand training legend Colin Jillings.Bearing the colours of Cam...

Special Sakura causes upset at Ellerslie

Taranaki visitor Special Sakura (Staphanos) upset the applecart when she led from go to whoa to bring up just her third career victory, and first at black-type level, when winning the Listed Fulton Family Stakes (1500m) at Ellerslie.The four-year-old daughter of Novara Park stallion Staphanos had finished close up in second behind Romilly in a rating 75 contest at the course when brought north by trainer Janelle Millar on New Year’s Day.Millar produced stable star Final Return to run a ga...

Manzor Blue upsets in Wellington Cup

Palmerton North mare Manzor Blue (Almanzor) caused a major upset when taking out the Gr.3 NZ Campus Of Innovation & Sport Wellington Cup (3200m) at Trentham on Saturday.The five-year-old daughter of Almanzor had previously only raced up to rating 75 grade and was taking a massive jump up to Group company on Saturday, a step punters thought was too far and they let her drift out to an 86-1 outsider.From her outside draw she was taken straight to the back to settle at the rear of the fiel...

Finnegan hopes lightning strikes twice

Samantha and Francis Finnegan followed a successful pattern when going to $125,000 to purchase a sharp filly by Written By at the Summer Sale at Karaka on Thursday.Awapuni conditioner Samantha Finnegan picked up her first winner as a trainer when Written By filly Bona Sforza swept home on debut to take out the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m) at Riccarton and she also finished fourth in the Gr.1 1000 Guineas  (1600m) behind star filly Well Written.Bona Sforza was a $150,000 Karaka yearling pur...

Stellar Summer Sale Closes out Karaka 2026

The final session of NZB’s 100th National Yearling Sale took place at Karaka on Thursday, with a strong inaugural Karaka Summer Sale.112 yearlings sold for a total aggregate of more than $3.4 million at an average of $30,612. Six lots sold for $100,000 or more which added to a solid clearance rate of 81%.NZB Managing Director Andrew Seabrook was elated for all those involved in the historic week.“To sum it up, this week we’ve turned over $9.6 million more than last year, with 79 less ...

O’Sullivan-Scott spec Noverre filly

Trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott have been putting in the hard yards over the past few weeks as they look to amass their next stable stars and they struck early at the Summer Sale session of the New Zealand National Yearling Sales at Karaka on Thursday.Bidding remotely through New Zealand Bloodstock’s Andrew Seabrook, O’Sullivan went to $80,000 to buy a striking filly by Noverre out of the four-win El Roca mare Royal Roc as Lot 865.“She is just athletic and a really nice filly....

Foote purchases Summer Sale topper

Respected international bloodstock agent John Foote has been attending the National Yearling Sale in New Zealand for over 50 years, and he returned to Karaka for the historic 100th National Yearling Sale this week.The Queensland-based agent was active across all three Books at Karaka, purchasing 14 lots in total.His final purchase was a colt by Armory catalogued as Lot 958 out of the Satono Aladdin mare Hanako, beautifully prepared by Putaruru vendor Stew McGregor....

Thompson adds Karaka colts to growing stable

Flemington trainer Glen Thompson is keen to build up his stable numbers and was pleased to come away with a pair of colts by Sword of State at Tuesday’s Book 2 session of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales.Thompson, who trained in partnership with Mike Moroney until the legendary horseman's death in February last year, lost several of his higher-rated horses, with Ballymore Stables absorbed by Lindsay Park.But Gr.1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) winner Benagil has been a headline ac...

Lindsays savour Cambridge Stud’s Book 1 triumph

Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay decided to support the milestone 100th edition of New Zealand’s National Yearling Sale with 100 percent of Cambridge Stud’s yearlings that were for sale this season, and that commitment was richly rewarded with a Book 1 triumph that they and their team will never forget.Across two outstanding days of selling at Karaka on Sunday and Monday, Cambridge Stud sold 50 of the 54 yearlings they offered. They earned an aggregate of $10.64 million and an average price o...

Cambridge Stud stallions continue favourable impression

Cambridge Stud enjoyed another strong day of selling at the Book 2 session of the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales at Karaka.The famed nursery were leading vendors of the Book 1 Sale and also held that mantle on Tuesday, clearing all but one of their 16-strong draft in Book 2Progeny of Cambridge Stud’s emerging sire Sword Of State were again in vogue, while barn-mate Embellish provided the day’s top lot, with Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young signing for a filly out of Queen Of ...

Millie makes his mark at Karaka

Bloodstock agent Kevin ‘Millie’ Walls was a force to be reckoned with on the buying bench of Book 1 of Karaka 2026, spending more than $3.6 million across Sunday and Monday.Walls secured one of the highest-priced lots on Sunday’s opening day of the sale with a $675,000 colt by Super Seth, and he followed that up on Monday with an $850,000 colt by Alabama Express from the draft of Elsdon Park.The colt went through the ring as Lot 383 and is the first foal out of the winning Tivaci mare Diva...

Sword Of State colt breaks million-dollar barrier

The dizzying rise of Cambridge Stud stallion Sword Of State continued at Karaka on Monday with a sale-topping $1.1 million yearling in his second crop.With his oldest progeny two-year-olds, the Group One-winning son of Snitzel has already been represented by Listed Debutant Stakes (1000m) winner and Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) placegetter Torture, highly impressive two-start, two-win colt Warwoven and smart last-start winner State The Obvious.Sword Of State’s burgeoning reputation led to an av...

Mulcaster lands another big blow at Karaka

Bloodstock agent Guy Mulcaster secured the $850,000 highest-priced lot on Sunday’s opening day of Karaka 2026, and he followed it up on Monday with something even bigger.Mulcaster Bloodstock and Chris Waller Racing went to $950,000 to secure Lot 471 – the highest-priced yearling ever sold by Landsdowne Park.The colt is by one of the world’s most in-demand stallions, Justify, out of the winning mare Heart To Heart. That daughter of Zoffany is a half-sister to the Gr.1 Prix du Jockey Club (2...

Payne makes Karaka return with $450,000 Satono Aladdin colt

A striking colt by Satono Aladdin lured respected trainer David Payne back to Karaka on Sunday after more than a decade-long absence.The last time the South African-born Payne bought a horse at Karaka was in 2013, when he paid $150,000 for a High Chaparral colt – the latest in a long line of purchases dating back to the 1980s.“I haven’t been here for at least 10 years,” the now Sydney-based horseman said. “I used to come in the 1980s, including the old days when it was at Trentham. I�...

Snitzel-Amarelinha colt takes top honours on Karaka’s opening day

A late, great sire and a deceased Group One-winning dam combined with an $850,000 colt that topped the opening day of the Book 1 session of Karaka 2026 on Sunday.The colt was offered by Cambridge Stud and went through the ring as Lot 265 in the final hour of the day.He is by the four-time champion Australian sire Snitzel, who died in June, and was the second and final foal produced by Savabeel mare Amarelinha before her untimely death in a paddock accident.Herself a $300,000 purchase by David El...

Millie wins one and loses one in hectic 10 minutes

Bloodstock agent Kevin ‘Millie’ Walls was a key player on back-to-back big lots at Karaka on Sunday, securing a colt for $675,000 before being underbidder on a $600,000 colt that was the very next yearling through the ring.Bidding on behalf of his clients and good friends Ron and Judi Wanless, Walls withstood the challenge of Andrew Williams and Jamie Richards to win a fierce bidding duel for Lot 93.The colt was offered by Hallmark Stud and is by rising star Waikato Stud sire Super Seth out ...

Ka Ying Rising posts record equalling win in Gr.1 Centenary Sprint Cup romp

Moments after Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress) forged into Hong Kong racing history with a record-equalling win in the HK$13 million Gr.1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday, David Hayes predicted the world’s best sprinter could potentially break Sha Tin’s 1400m course record next month.Reacting to Ka Ying Rising’s effort to post a 17th consecutive victory to match the winning streak of Silent Witness from 2002 to 2005, Hayes believes the superstar galloper can thr...

Karaka 2026 makes favourable impression on William Haggas

The milestone 100th edition of New Zealand’s National Yearling Sale has caught attention throughout the thoroughbred world, including one of the United Kingdom’s leading trainers.Among the crowd at Karaka on Sunday was the recognisable figure of William Haggas, the winner of more than a dozen Group One races in his homeland including the Derby (2400m) with Shaamit and Oaks (2400m) with Dancing Rain, along with other elite-level triumphs in France, Ireland, Germany, Italy and Australia.Haggas...

Anemacore strikes in Sunshine Coast Cup

Letham Stud stallion Unusual Suspect was credited with his second stakes winner when Anemacore (Unusual Suspect) lived up to his long-held potential and pre-race favouritism with victory in Saturday’s A$160,000 Listed Coastline BMW Sunshine Coast Cup (1400m).Ridden by Michael Rodd for trainer Shaun Dwyer, Anemacore had only three horses behind him with 300m to run but produced a powerful finishing burst to get up and win by a length and a quarter.Anemacore has now had 20 starts for six wi...