Photo: Angelique Bridson
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 was invited to attend the centenary sale by NZB principal Sir Peter Vela, a long-time friend for whom Haggas has previously trained horses in the northern hemisphere.
“I’ve known Sir Peter for a long time and I’ve always promised that I would come, and I’ve finally made it,” Haggas said. “It fitted in well and I’ve always wanted to see it, and I’m pleased that I’ve come.”
The 65-year-old’s taste of the Kiwi industry also included Saturday’s Karaka Millions twilight meeting at Ellerslie, headlined by the six-length runaway by unbeaten filly Well Written in the TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m).
“I thought it was terrific,” he said. “The only great shame was the weather, because we got a bit of English weather and everyone had made an effort to dress up and enjoy themselves. But it looked to me like everyone decided to forgive the weather and just get on with it, and it was a great atmosphere.
“Well Written showed a great turn of foot. She just needed to get organised at the top of the straight, and then it was game over. I don’t know the quality of the opposition, but horses that can quicken are usually pretty good wherever they are in the world.”
The Karaka sale grounds and the yearlings catalogued for this week’s sale have made a similarly favourable impression.
“The complex is very well organised here,” he said. “It’s very easy for the customer to see the horses, plenty of room, plenty of cover if the weather is filthy, which it has been.
“It’s easy to find your way around. Already I know where to go, whereas if you go to Keeneland in America, it takes five sales to get used to it. Tattersalls is the same, it’s big. Goffs in Ireland is pretty easy to work out, but this is as good as I’ve seen.
“The style of horse here is not too dissimilar to what I’m used to. I’ve been impressed by the quality of the stock. I’ve found it very difficult to value them, but that’s normal stuff for me, because I find it difficult to value them everywhere. But there are some very nice horses here, so I hope it goes well for them.
“I get the impression from people here that the industry is in a critical stage in New Zealand, with the foal crop diminishing and the guarantees of prize-money from Entain halfway through its five-year tenure. So it’s really important that people support the business if they want it to succeed. It’s not going to succeed on its own. It’s going to succeed because everyone gets together and really commits to breeding and racing.
“What’s really struck me here is how many breeders own horses in training, which is a good thing, so let’s hope that it continues, and even though we won’t be still here in another 100 years, but hopefully the place will be.”
Haggas has made a habit of targeting the riches of Sydney’s autumn carnival, reasoning that his horses’ fresher legs might have an advantage over locals who have been competing through the season. He won the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) with Addeybb in 2020 and 2021 and Dubai Honour in 2023, the Gr.1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) with Addeybb in 2020 and Dubai Honour in 2023, and the Gr.1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) with Dubai Honour last year. He expects to be back again in a few months’ time.
“We're planning to bring Dubai Honour again for the Tancred, and then we've got another horse, Caviar Heights, who might do the Ranvet and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes,” he said.
“His bloods are done and he's got his place in quarantine, and he looked in terrific condition when I left, and by all accounts he's doing really well. He's a horse that we like a lot, we got him from another trainer. He ran only three times last year. His last start was disappointing, but it took a bit of time to work him out. I think he’ll have a good year. Whether he’s up to the Queen Elizabeth, I don’t know, but one thing I’ve learned in racing over the period of time I’ve been training is that if you’re not in, you can’t win.”
Haggas, a son-in-law of the legendary jockey Lester Piggott, is now watching with pride as his son Sam forges his own career as a bloodstock agent.
“I've asked him three times whether he wants to take over from me at some stage, and every single time he never had the decency to even pause before he gave his reply, so I don't think he'll be doing that,” Haggas said. “He enjoys the bloodstock side, he is developing lots of data, especially for tried horses, so he's coming at it from a different angle, which I admire. And one of the beauties of coming out here is actually I've probably spent more time with him this week than I do at the moment, because he's here, there and everywhere, and we're obviously busy in the summer, so it's been very nice, and he's doing very well.”
