Karaka 2021 Sales Update in regard to the Covid-19 situation

Dear Breeders, On behalf of New Zealand Bloodstock, I would like to give you a further update on the 2021 National Yearling Sales at Karaka.  We believe that a trans-Tasman bubble is very important to the success of the Sale, and given the current outbreaks of COVID-19 in Victoria, a January Sale is looking more and more unlikely. After consulting a number of major breeders over the past few weeks and to give everyone some clarity going forward, we will be deciding the date of the Sale on 31 August. If by 31 August, there is no likelihood of our borders opening with Australia in January, we will move the National Yearling Sales to the week beginning Monday 19 April.  Our NZB representatives continue to canvas trainers, owners and agents across Australia, all of whom have been enthusiastic about attending our Sale should it be in April.  One of the advantages of holding the Sale in April of course is the rub off we could get from our kiwi horses competing successfully in the Sydney Championships, where we have such an enviable record. Just this autumn we watched the likes of Probabeel, Te Akau Shark, The Bostonian, Verry Elleegant, Etah James and Tofane all claim Group One honours. It should also not be underestimated the amount of money that New Zealand buyers spent this year at the Magic Million sales in January (21 horses for $5.75m) and the Sydney Classic in early February (13 horses for $1.7m). Assuming the trans-Tasman border is still closed at this time, this money or a good portion of it, which is lost to Australian sales could well be spent at Karaka in April instead.  Should our National Yearling Sales move to April, it is our intention to hold an online yearling sale in late January, details of which will be confirmed on 31 August. Buyers are becoming more and more comfortable with purchasing online, so we see this as an attractive option for those that don’t want to hold their yearlings until April, or those who might wish to sell their less commercial horses. This will be done at a very attractive entry fee and commission rate. As tempting as it may be to take your horses off shore to sell in 2021, who knows what is going to happen in Australia. One market which we don’t rely on nearly as heavily as Australia, are the American, European and Japanese buyers, all of whom will be in serious doubt of attending an Australian yearling sale next year. If we move our Sales to April, I can assure you that we will be doing our absolute best to achieve great results. But we need your support. We need as strong a catalogue as we possibly can to get the best buying bench to Karaka, physically and virtually. Our ability to assemble a strong buying bench will be effected if we lose top end yearlings to overseas sales companies. This in turn will have a negative impact on your other horses being sold at Karaka. So when deciding on where to sell your yearlings, think about the aggregate of your draft, not the average. These are uncertain times for everyone I know, so as a gesture of goodwill to all our clients, New Zealand Bloodstock is going to waive all offering fees at the 2021 Yearling Sales. We are confident that we will make a well-considered decision around the date of our National Yearling Sale, that along with our improvements in technology and online bidding services will achieve the best possible results for you and your yearlings. Thanks and regards,   Andrew SeabrookManaging Director