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
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.
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
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.
