Karaka 2026 marked the 100th National Yearling Sale in New Zealand, held at NZB’s Karaka Sales Centre from 25 – 29 January 2026.
A century of thoroughbred excellence has shaped the National Yearling Sales Series, from guineas to dollars, Trentham to Karaka and Wrightsons to NZB.
It is the beating heart of trade within the New Zealand breeding and racing industry, where breeder meets buyer, where years of careful planning and preparation meets astute judgement and ambition. It is where winning begins.
From this centenary of sales ring moments have emerged many legends of the racetrack, among them the titans Phar Lap, Rising Fast, Tulloch, Dulcify, Octagonal and So You Think.
Let’s raise a glass to one hundred years of rich history, and make it a double, to toast the future of the National Yearling Sales Series as the legacy of the New Zealand thoroughbred continues to unfurl.
WATCH: The first horse through the newly built Karaka auditorium in 1988.
WATCH: The champion, Octagonal (NZ), going through the ring as Lot 121 in 1994
WATCH: Hall of Fame video on top buyer Sir Stanley Goosman
WATCH: Hall of Fame induction for Tom Lowry
WATCH: NZB’s Sir Peter Vela on his time at the helm of NZB.
WATCH: 1950 ‘The New Zealand Thoroughbred’ featuring the 1950 Trentham Sale
WATCH: 100 Years of the National Yearling Sale
WATCH: NZB’s Mary Jane Harvey on the National Yearling Sale.
WATCH: Karaka Sales Centre construction in 1987
WATCH: Rodney Schick on So You Think
WATCH: Mark Chittick in 2008 on first season sire Savabeel
A Century of Sales Ring Moments
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Sale news, catalogues and results can be found over on nzb.co.nz.