Highest priced Yearlings from the NZB Karaka sales

Date of release: April 17th, 2025

NZB KARAKA Yearling Sale 2024

▪️current 2yo age - The “highest priced” yearlings.

♦️yearlings sold for over NZ$400,000+

This sale had a bumper 30 yearlings sold for NZ$400k+ compared to previous years where much smaller numbers were bought over $400k

◽️Just 7 [23%] of these highest priced 2yo’s have made it onto the track [less 2yo races]

◻️3 horses have won a race

❌ No horse has earned more prize money than his sales cost:

◻️A high proportion 8 of 30 [27%] remain unnamed.

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NZB KARAKA Yearling Sale 2023

▪️current 3yo age - The “highest priced” yearlings.

♦️yearlings sold for over NZ$400,000+

Only 14 horses were sold above NZ$400k+ [runners are now 3yo’s],

This was the last year before the high end boom started compared to the huge boom in 2024 of 30 yearlings at this price bracket and only 3 months ago another 27 in 2025.

◻️2 of these high costs yearlings have earned more prize money then their sales price:

Savaglee

Shanwah

◻️Disappointing that 5 or the 14 [36%] have not made it to race day, this deep into their 3yo season.

✔️6 of the 9 that made it to the races, have won a race [66% winners to runners]

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NZB Karaka  2022 - now 4yo

▪️current 4yo age - The “highest priced” yearlings.

♦️yearlings sold for over $400,000+

This sale had 23 yearlings sold for $400k+

◽️22 of these 23 [96%] highest priced [now 4yo’s] made it onto the track, that is equal to the highest ratio of any sale over the last 4 years.

❌ only 1 of these 22 have earned more prize money than their sales cost - ORCHESTRAL

◻️ 2 of the 22 runners have not won a race  [9%] - good result.

❌ 7 of the 22 [32%], have only won 1 race

🕳️ so 9 of 22 [40%] highest priced yearlings at this sale in 2022 have won only 1 race or less, this deep into their 4yo racing year.   it is one of the better results compared to other sales in Aus/NZ over the last 4 years. 

The paradox here is:

🔻Congratulating this sale for their comparative “top end price” performances

🔻best results for the “worst performing race track sector” in all the yearling sales

[data now presented data on the last 20 major sales in Australia/NZ since 2021].

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NZB Karaka 2021 - now 5yo

▪️current 5yo age - The “highest priced” yearlings.

♦️yearlings sold for over $400,000k ❌ not enough data, dropped to $350k+

🚫 I had to drop the high point for this sale as only 9 horses were purchased over $400k, so you can see an extra set has been added from $350k+

This sale had only 17 yearlings sold for $350k+ [vastly different trend to the recent few years]

◽️15 of them [88%] of these highest priced graduates [now 5yo] have made it onto the track.

❌ Only 1 runner has earned more prize money then their sales cost - (LORD) DYNASTIC

❌ 4 of the 17 [23%] runners, have not won a race, deep into their 5yo year.

❌ another 6 of the 17 [35%], have only won 1 race

🕳️ so 58% of the “highest priced” [now 5yo’s] from this sales draft have not won more than 1 race….. following analysis of 20 sales - the data reflects the vast majority of the highest priced yearlings do not perform on the race track.

To the shakers and movers that determine best picks and highest prices of the crop

🆘 this is your cue to “take a bow”.