Photo: Bradleyphotos.com.au
The proven pathway from NZB sales to the Group One winners’ circle provided plenty more success during the 2025-26 season, headed by eight Group One victories in Australia and another five in New Zealand.
Those 13 elite-level successes were recorded by 10 different NZB graduates and came over distances ranging all the way from 1200 to 2500 metres.
The average price for the 10 Group One-winning Karaka graduates this season was only $98,400. The highest-priced Group One winning graduate was Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) at $180,000, while Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) and Globe (NZ) (Charm Spirit) cost $22,000 each and Wigmore (NZ) (Sweynesse) was bought for $25,000.
This Saturday, July 25, the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders Association are set to celebrate over 20 Group One New Zealand-bred's at the Don Rowlands Centre, Lake Karapiro, and the event is now sold out.
AELIANA (NZ)
In each of the last two seasons, the Sydney Autumn Carnival has been Aeliana’s time to shine.
The Chris Waller-trained filly blew her male rivals off the track in a five-length runaway in the Group One Australian Derby (2400m) as a three-year-old last season, then returned in 2026 and delivered back-to-back triumphs in the Group One Ranvet Stakes (2000m) and Group One Tancred Stakes (2400m).
The Tancred was one of the most exciting finishes of the season in Australia’s top echelon of weight-for-age racing, with jockey James McDonald bringing Aeliana home with an irresistible late run to reel in the globe-trotting star Dubai Honour (Pride Of Dubai) in the final few bounds.
Aeliana’s four-year-old season also produced second placings in the Group One Winx Stakes (1400m), Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) and Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m) along with the Group Two Apollo Stakes (1400m).
Aeliana earned over $2.1m during the 2025-26 season, lifting her overall earnings to A$4.44m from an 18-start, six-win career. She has earned almost 30 times her $180,000 purchase price at Karaka 2023.
CEOLWULF (NZ)
After initially emerging as a staying prospect with Group One Australian Derby (2400m) and Rosehill Guineas (2000m) placings in his three-year-old season, the last two years have cemented Ceolwulf’s status as one of Australia’s very best milers.
He burst on the scene as a spring four-year-old in 2024 with victories in the Group One Epsom Handicap (1600m) and A$5m Group One King Charles III Stakes (1600m), and the spring of 2025 brought more of the same.
Ceolwulf defended his King Charles crown with a brilliant triumph over fellow New Zealand-breds Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) and Pier (NZ) (Proisir), then travelled to Melbourne for the Champions Mile (1600m) on the final day of Flemington’s Melbourne Cup Carnival. Despite being far from suited to the deteriorating Heavy9 ground, his star quality and sheer will to win shone through and he prevailed in a tight finish.
From 27 starts, the Joe Pride-trained Ceolwulf has recorded seven wins, four seconds and three thirds. He has earned A$10.95m, which is more than 77 times his purchase price at the 2022 Ready to Run Sale.
DESERT LIGHTNING (NZ)
Already an established Group One performer in New Zealand, Barneswood Farm’s Desert Lightning stepped up to the same level across the Tasman with a superb victory in the A$1m Group One Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville.
With Barneswood’s Sarah Green and her husband Chris on course, Desert Lightning produced a withering finish from eighth under jockey Luke Nolen and edged out the favourite Extragalactic (Deep Field) by a half-head. It was a memorable battle down the Morphettville straight, with only a length covering the first five horses home.
Desert Lightning began his career in the Peter and Dawn Williams stable and won five races for them including the Group One TAB Classic (1600m), Group Two Avondale Guineas (2100m) and $1m Aotearoa Classic (1600m). He also placed behind Prowess (NZ) (Proisir) in the $1.5m Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) and picked up Group One placings in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) and Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m).
After transferring across the Tasman and into the stable of Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman, Desert Lightning won the Group Three Sandown Stakes (1500m) and So You Think Stakes (1500m), run second in the Group Two PB Lawrence Stakes (1400m), and finished fourth in the Group One Toorak Handicap (1600m) and Stradbroke Handicap (1400m). He capped that consistent run of form with a deserved Goodwood triumph.
Desert Lightning is the winner of eight races from 34 career starts, with five seconds and four thirds. He has earned A$2.24m, which is 18 times his purchase price at Karaka 2021.
GLOBE (NZ)
Globe is the equal lowest-priced member of this Group One list for 2025-26. He was passed in with a $20,000 reserve as a weanling, then sold for just $22,000 during Book 2 of Karaka 2020. He has turned that into more than A$1.2m from a 17-start career that has featured six wins and four placings.
Trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr, Globe burst on the scene in 2023 with wins in all of his first four starts, but connections later endured a frustrating run of setbacks and bad luck.
One race last spring turned everything around – the A$1m Group One Might And Power Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield. Under a perfectly judged front-running ride by Blake Shinn, Globe dictated terms among the four-horse field and threw down the gauntlet to proven Group One stars Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) and Buckaroo (Fastnet Rock) with a powerful kick at the top of the straight. He put himself well out of those rivals’ reach, winning by three lengths.
LEGARTO (NZ)
An exceptional career came to a close this season when Legarto recorded her fourth and fifth Group One victories in the Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) and Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m).
Legarto finished up as the winner of 12 of her 24 starts, with two seconds and three thirds. She earned $3.16m, which is more than 35 times the $90,000 that Ancroft Stud paid to buy her from Book 2 of Karaka 2021. Yulong later paid A$2.8m to secure her for their broodmare band.
The Ken and Bev Kelso-trained Legarto was a Group One winner in three different seasons. Her outstanding three-year-old campaign included victories in the Group One New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and Group One Australian Guineas (1600m), becoming the first New Zealand-trained winner of the latter. She added the Group One Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) as a four-year-old.
Injury restricted Legarto to only two starts as a five-year-old, but she returned to her brilliant best at six with emphatic victories in the Herbie Dyke in February and the New Zealand Stakes in March. The New Zealand Stakes was a fitting farewell, proving her weight-for-age supremacy and living up to the race meeting’s Champions Day billing.
MR BRIGHTSIDE (NZ)
With his victory in the A$750,000 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington in September, the remarkable Mr Brightside became the fifth Karaka graduate to win 10 or more Group One races.
That list is headed by Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) with 14, while Mr Brightside now shares second place with fellow 10-time Group One winners So You Think (NZ) (High Chaparral), Golden Sixty (Medaglia d’Oro) and Mufhasa (NZ) (Pentire). The Makybe Diva Stakes moved Mr Brightside one ahead of nine-time Group One winner Avantage (Fastnet Rock).
Mr Brightside was bought for $22,000 by Phill Cataldo Bloodstock at the 2019 Karaka May Sale, then was passed in with a $50,000 reserve at the 2019 Ready to Run Sale. He has now earned more than 900 times his May Sale purchase price.
Mr Brightside has now won the Makybe Diva Stakes three times. He also ran second in this season’s Group One Memsie Stakes (1400m) and King Charles III Stakes (1600m) before injury cut his eight-year-old preparation short.
From a total of 48 starts dating back to 2021, Mr Brightside has recorded 20 wins, 13 seconds and three thirds. He has earned A$18.89m.
QUINTESSA (NZ)
Previously a winner of the Group One Levin Classic (1600m) as a three-year-old, Te Akau Racing’s Quintessa did it again as a five-year-old in this season’s $400,000 Group One Proisir Plate (1400m).
The Ellerslie feature was the first Group One race of the New Zealand season, and Quintessa produced a scintillating finish from the back of the field to win going away by a length and a quarter.
Placed in the $600,000 Group Two Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Classic (1400m) later in the season, Quintessa has now retired from racing with a record of 22 starts for six wins, five placings and $1.1m in stakes. Sir David Ellis bought her for $170,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2022. She was sold for A$800,000 as a broodmare prospect earlier this year.
ROMANOFF (NZ)
The $700,000 Group One Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton produced a Karaka 2024 Book 2 quinella.
Both Romanoff and the runner-up Affirmative Action (Yes Yes Yes) were bought from Book 2 by Ballymore Stables, Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Catheryne Bruggeman, and both horses were trained by Pam Gerard.
In a desperately close photo finish, Romanoff snatched victory by a nose over Affirmative Action. It was a second straight 2000 Guineas triumph for Gerard, who also won the classic 12 months earlier with fellow Karaka graduate Savaglee (NZ) (Savabeel).
Romanoff has turned his $75,000 purchase price at Karaka 2024 into $610,575 in stakes from a 10-start career to date, while his second-placed stablemate Affirmative Action cost $115,000 and has had seven starts for two wins, three placings and $408,275.
WIGMORE (NZ)
Wigmore took out the A$1m Group One Thomas Farms South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville in May, becoming the fourth Karaka graduate since 2021 to win the Adelaide classic.
He followed in the Derby-winning footsteps of Dunkel (NZ) (Dundeel) in 2023, Jungle Magnate (NZ) (Tarzino) in 2022 and Explosive Jack (NZ) (Jakkalberry) in 2021.
Bought by Kevin Myers for only $25,000 from Book 2 of Karaka 2024, Wigmore was initially trained by Myers’ daughter Caley. He was a maiden winner in January went on to run a fast-finishing fourth in the $1.25m Group One New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie in March. That performance caught the eye of major syndicators OTI Racing, who purchased him and relocated him across the Tasman and into the stable of Phillip Stokes.
Wigmore has had eight starts for two wins, two placings and A$608,208 in stakes – more than 29 times his purchase price.
Other Star Graduates
NZB Ready to Run Sale graduates filled three of the first four positions in this season’s edition of the prestigious HK$26m BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) at Sha Tin, headed by superb winner Invincible Ibis (Hellbent). Invincible Ibis was offered by Kilgravin Lodge at the 2023 Ready to Run Sale and was bought for $425,000. The Derby winner has won five of his 11 starts and placed on another four occasions, earning HK$24.6m (NZ$5.4m).
The $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) was won by Dream Roca (NZ) (El Roca), who was bought by Queensland trainer Liam Birchley for $75,000. She also placed in the Group Two Spirit Of Boom Classic (1200m) and Listed Dalrello Stakes (1000m) in Brisbane later in the season, improving her record to seven starts for two wins, three placings and A$583,827 in stakes.
Tuxedo (NZ) (Tivaci), who was a $70,000 purchase from Book 1 of Karaka 2023, won the $1m Group Three Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m) on Karaka Millions night at Ellerslie in January. He went on to finish third in the Group One Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m), and he has earned $1.14m from a 14-race career that has produced five wins and four placings.
Moxie (Strasbourg) was bought for only $10,000 from Book 2 of Karaka 2023. She triumphed in the $600,000 Group Two Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Classic (1400m) at Ellerslie on Champions Day, lifting her career earnings to $506,125. She has had 12 starts for five wins and two placings
Outside the Sales ring, continues to be another outstanding season for New Zealand-breds, with none shining brighter than the great Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress).
The world’s highest-rated sprinter continued his dominance of Hong Kong racing, now boasting an unbroken sequence of 20 consecutive victories.
Ka Ying Rising won five Group One races this season, including becoming the first overseas-trained winner of the A$20m Group One The Everest (1200m) in Sydney. In a notable result for New Zealand, fellow Kiwi-bred multiple Group One winner Jimmysstar (NZ) (Per Incanto) finished third in that Randwick showpiece.
The New Zealand industry also celebrated a Group One double by three-year-old fillies during Sydney’s Autumn Carnival, with Belle Cheval (NZ) (Savabeel) taking out the Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) before Ohope Wins (NZ) (Ocean Park) added the Australian Oaks (2400m) to her earlier success in the Group One New Zealand Oaks (2400m).
The 2026 National NZ Breeders Awards is set to take place Saturday 25 July at the Don Rowlands Centre, Lake Karapiro, and the event is now sold out.
The next opportunity to purchase a Group One winner will be the 2026 NZB Ready to Run Sale, taking place lat the Karaka Sales Centre on Wednesday 18 & Thursday 19 November, while Karaka 2027 will take place from 24 - 28 January at the Karaka Sales Centre, the iconic week on the international sales calendar marking the 101st National Yearling Sale in New Zealand.
