Walking around the Karaka Sales Complex south of Auckland this week, one might think they were at a festival of some sort with food stalls and drinks at the ready.
But the omnipresent sound of clip-clopping served as a reminder for what was really taking place — the New Zealand Bloodstock Yearlings Sales.
It has become considered to be one of the biggest weeks in the New Zealand racehorse calendar with international and domestic buyers on the lookout for the next champion among a catalogue of more than 1000 horses.
The sales follow on from the Karaka Millions — New Zealand's most lucrative meeting with $4.5 million in winnings this year — although New Zealand Bloodstock managing director Andrew Seabrook described Saturday's races as an "entree" to this week's action.
"This is where the breeders make their money and this is where all the good horses come to be sold," Seabrook told 1News.
And those interested parties mean business with the Book 1 session of this year's sales reaching a record $80 million from a combined 473 sold horses over the first three days. One horse alone went for an historic $1.6 million after a fierce bidding war in the auditorium.
Seabrook said half of the Book 1 sales came from Australian buyers while Hong Kong agents were also fairly active.
"We had a tough couple of years through Covid obviously with the borders closed — none of our international buyers could get here. But since then, it's really taken off.
"The New Zealand racing product is going really well, particularly in Australia and Hong Kong. They're our biggest markets."
Part of the reason New Zealand's reputation was so well recognised was due to stallion strength as well as recent results overseas.
"Last year, New Zealand made up 8% of the horses in Australia yet they won 30% of their major races and in Hong Kong we've got the champion sprinter up there, Lucky Sweynesse," Seabrook explained.
And while much of the international action has wrapped up with the closing of Book 1, Kiwi punters looking to get in on the action would still have today and tomorrow to get a taste for the scene both in person or online.
But for those in attendance, there was no obligation to buy a horse at the sales either.
"A lot of people think they can't come out here and just sit down and watch in the auditorium. We love new people to come out and get a flavour of what it's like to watch a horse go through the ring and sell for half a million dollars."
But Seabrook added it was not just about the big dollar horses.
"When you go to a sale and you spend half a million dollars, that doesn't guarantee you success. I always say you can go to a sale, and spend a million dollars, and it might not win anything. You can go to a sale, spend a thousand dollars and it might win a million dollars.
"There's no guaranteed way of success and that's the beautiful thing about the horse racing industry — anyone can get involved and anyone can become a millionaire with a great racehorse."
SHARE ME