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The TAB got bailed out by the government after the Covid BS and now Entain with the $900m and it will nit be happening again! The fact that they have not invested the money wisely is very disappointing and going to be a kick in the guts for harness racing in my humble opinion. -
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maybe this post illustrates why you don't understabnd what we are saying. because what you've just posted has no relevance as far as i understand things,because racing does not get any annual allocation of funds from the governent, that they have to spend within a certain time frame. Never has..
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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Haunui Farm Managing Director Mark Chitty is eagerly looking forward to Karaka 2026 for a multitude of reasons. The sale marks 100 years of National Yearling Sales in New Zealand and while the third-generation stud master is proud to present a 40-strong draft across Books 1, 2 and the Summer Sale, it is also an opportunity to reflect on the journey. “It’s a milestone for New Zealand, in terms of the thoroughbred industry,” Chitty said. We were recounting the other day, the first Haunui associated yearling went through the ring in about 1957, and it was not long after that that we actually vended as a farm through the Trentham sales. “Obviously, I wasn’t part of that, but certainly to carry it on, to see the move from Trentham to Karaka has been wonderful. “The major sale of the year has always been at the end of January. When everyone else is at the beach we’re hammering down, preparing the crop that fundamentally, two and a half years ago, people decided what they were going to breed their mares to, and this is the result. “It is always a time where you’re proud to present your draft, but you’ve also got trepidation with regards to how the market is going to receive the horses that you present.” The New Zealand National Yearling Sales moved from Trentham Racecourse in Wellington to the purpose-built sales complex in Karaka, Auckland, in 1988, with Haunui Farm these days within 15 minutes of the complex. Chitty said Sir Patrick Hogan’s methods had been a game-changer for the New Zealand sales. “What Sir Patrick Hogan did with elite stallions, hospitality and in the presentation of yearlings was certainly a game-changer. “I never worked for Patrick, but you certainly recognise his expertise and attempted to carry it off in your own particular way. “It is a horse sale, it’s a point in time and you just hope that you’re part of the acceptance of the market.” Chitty doesn’t have to look far in the rear-view mirror for Karaka highlights, having sold a full sister to Orchestral for a sale-topping $2.4 million last year, but says he gets a great thrill out of seeing graduates across all budgets going on to racetrack success. “The filly last year was massive, but I probably reflect on possibly going into this Karaka Millions 3YO race, where we could have five graduates, and they range from $30,000 to $825,000,” he said. “We’ve never stood the elite stallion, but we’ve had good yearlings go through, and especially after moving to Karaka in 2010. We’ve had some really nice horses come off the property. “You reflect on a mare like Melody Belle. She only made $57,500 going through the ring but went on to become a 14-time Group One winner. “You love to sell the high priced yearlings but you also want them to go on and perform. Orchestral made $625,000, and she went on and became a champion of her year. “I think it’s just a mix of emotion, you want all parts of the market to be successful. You want people to go in and try their luck at the low end, and you want the guys that pay really good money to have great success too.” Chitty is also Deputy Chair of Auckland Thoroughbred Racing and is looking forward to another bumper Ellerslie card on the popular six-race Karaka Millions twilight meeting on Saturday week. “New Zealand Bloodstock should take a lot of credit for the development of the Karaka Millions meeting and where it’s got to now,” he said. “It is a great event and I’m just a very small part of the cog in the wheel with Auckland Thoroughbred Racing. With the development of the StrathAyr track, what you’re seeing is the subsequent confidence in racing from our stakeholders, not only the trainers, but also the owners. “We are trying to put a bit more back in with regards to stake money through a change in direction. There’s still a lot to be done, but certainly, I’m proud to be a part of it, and I’m sure there are further things in store.” With the opening yearling sale of the year at the Gold Coast off to a positive start, Chitty said that despite selling a completely different product at Karaka, it still shows a good appetite for buying horses. “Even though we don’t have the volume of high-end stallions, we can certainly breed a horse,” he said. “The success of the New Zealand bred horse in Australasia over the last 12 to 24 months has been very good, and I think anyone thinking about buying yearlings has certainly got Karaka on the shopping list.” With a snappier format that will see Book 1 (567 lots) and Book 2 (281 lots) take place over three days (January 25-27) before the new Karaka Summer Sale (161 lots) on the Thursday (29th), Chitty is pleased to have all his Book 2 horses on the complex. “Having all Book 1 and Book 2 yearlings on-site at Karaka logistically will be great and an opportunity to showcase those horses, which is pleasing,” he said. Lots to Watch: Lot 556 Anamoe x Moet Belle colt “I’ve got a very even draft of horses. Our Book 1 draft are predominantly by proven stallions. The horse that is not is a colt by Anamoe out of Moet Belle. This is her third foal. She’s a half-sister to Melody Belle and also from the family of Romanoff, who won the 2000 Guineas last year. “He’s a colt that’s just kept improving in the prep. He’s a really nice medium-sized individual, and he’ll meet with nice approval from a family that’s currently been doing quite a lot in the last five to six years.” Lot 459 Proisir x Gracehill filly “I can’t not mention the half-sister to Crocetti. I’m lucky enough to be vending her on behalf of Daniel Nakhle. It’s a family that Daniel has developed very well through the likes of Irish Colleen, Crosshaven, Killarney, and Crocetti, who has won a Railway (Gr.1, 1200m) and 2000 Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m). She’s a November foal, but you wouldn’t think it. I think the guys from the New Zealand Bloodstock team are quite surprised with where she’s got to now. She’s a lovely filly going forward into the sale, and got that real residual value.” Lot 220 Hello Youmzain x Viscountess filly “We talk about Sir Patrick Hogan and celebrating 100 years of the sale. We’re lucky enough to be presenting a filly from the Eight Carat family out of a great-granddaughter of Marquise, a Hello Youmzain filly out of an unraced, a Franch mare called Viscountess. “It’s the mare’s first foal and she’s a lovely, strong filly. We’ve got three Hello Youmzain fillies in the sale, and they’re all nice physical types and should meet with good demand.” View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
With a global reputation built up through 100 years of high-quality graduates, there should be no shortage of reasons for buyers to flock to Karaka later this month for the NZB National Yearling Sale. But if anyone needs any extra convincing, there are some lucrative incentives to make it well worth getting involved during Karaka 2026. Karaka Millions Series Dual Karaka Millions heroine Probabeel (NZ) The most established of these incentives is the Karaka Millions Series, which was launched with the inaugural running of the Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) back in 2008. The Karaka Millions Series is New Zealand’s richest racing series, offering graduates of NZB’s sales the opportunity to compete for a share in over $3.5m. Just 12 months after yearlings make their sale ring debut, nominated horses can compete in the lucrative $1m TAB Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m), which is run at Ellerslie on the eve of the following season’s National Yearling Sale. Another 12 months later, they are able to contest the $1.5m TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) on the same star-studded raceday. Graduates are also eligible for the NZB Mega Maiden Bonus Series, with $1m in bonuses up for grabs across 40 maiden races each season. In an additional boost for the newest section of the National Yearling Sale, the Karaka Summer Sale, NZB has announced a $200,000 Karaka Millions bonus. For the first Karaka Summer Sale graduate home in both the 2027 TAB Karaka Millions 2YO and the 2028 TAB Karaka Millions 3YO, $100,000 will be split evenly between the vendor and purchaser. Karaka Millions trophies The Karaka Millions 2YO carries a prize of $550,500 for the winner. The 18 previous winners of the race were purchased for an average price of $139,250. The highest-priced winner was the mighty Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel), who was bought by David Ellis for $380,000 and won the race in 2019 before scoring four Group One triumphs in Australia. The lowest-priced was the 2016 winner Xiong Feng (NZ) (Iffraaj) at just $30,000. The Karaka Millions 3YO is worth $795,750 for the winner. The eight previous winners were sold for an average price of $334,375, with 2019 winner Long Leaf (Fastnet Rock) the most expensive at $750,000 while 2018 winner Scott Base (NZ) (Dalghar) was the cheapest at $70,000. All yearlings and weanlings purchased at Karaka are eligible for the Karaka Millions Series. To nominate your purchase following a sale, email finance@nzb.co.nz or call +64 9 298 0055. Entry deadlines apply, check the Terms & Conditions for the relevant sale for which the horse was purchased from. The NZB Kiwi NZB Kiwi trophy Any horse purchased at Karaka is also eligible to be selected to represent a slot in the southern hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race, the NZB Kiwi (1500m). The NZB Kiwi was added to the New Zealand calendar last season and has become one of the centrepieces of the Champions Day meeting at Ellerslie in early March. It was run for an introductory stake of $3.5m in 2025, which has risen to $4m for 2026 and will increase again to $4.5m in 2027. The inaugural winner of the NZB Kiwi, Damask Rose (NZ) (Savabeel), was bought by David Ellis for $200,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2023 and has turned that into more than $2m in stakes. On top of the base prizemoney of the NZB Kiwi, an additional $1m in bonuses is available each year to the winners of selected feature three-year-old races leading into Champions Day. To be eligible for a share in the bonus pool, a horse must win one of the various Bonus Eligible races, then run a top-three placing in the NZB Kiwi. The bonus pool is then divided into $600,000 for the winner, $250,000 for second and $150,000 for third. Karaka 2026 will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from January 25 to 29, with Book 1 on January 25 and 26, Book 2 on January 27 and the new Karaka Summer Sale on January 29. View the full article
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