The 2009 New Zealand Yearling Sales catalogue is out, and how appropriate it has been dubbed the Sale of the Stars. The sales are held in Auckland on February 14th and in Christchurch, February 16th, 17th and 18th.

Several agents, buyers and breeders have described this year's two sales in Auckland and Christchurch as the best yet. They have said it oozes excellence with top mares and numerous quality stallions to choose from.

"I think this is the best prepared catalogue I have ever seen anywhere in the world and I've been to a few yearling sales over the years. The standard of the mares and numerous numbers of stallions available is phenomenal. Buyers will not be stuck for quality," said world-wide Standardbred agent, John Curtin, of JC International.

A total of 194 colts and fillies have been catalogued for the Australasian Classic Yearling Sale at karaka on February 14. Then on February 16, 17, and 18 the New Zealand Premier Yearling Sale will be staged at Canterbury's Agricultural Park in Christchurch. Just over 400 Standardbreds have been listed for that sale.

Sire-of-the-moment, Mach Three has five entered in the Auckland Sale (lots 18, 20, 23, 29, and 56) and another five at Christchurch (lots 198, 228, 238, 251, and 287).

The stand-out Rocknroll Hanover has four yearlings entered at the two sales - the first four to be sold in the southern hemisphere. He was a phenomenon during his 26-race career winning 15 times and placing on 10 other occasions for $3,069,093. He was also the first pacer in the world to break 1:50 for the mile as a two-year-old.

Other popular sires are sure to be Art Major, Christian Cullen, McArdle, Falcon Seelster, Grinfromeartoear, Western Terror, Bettor's Delight, and our own Elsu.

Buyers are expected from all parts of the world to get down on our bargains. Again some of New Zealand's best preparers will be showing off their quality Standardbreds.

Harnesslnk hosts many of the top vendor's websites. The following preparers have their website with Harnesslink. Click the link to their website to view their websites. As the catalogues just come out, the websites are currently being updated, so it might be a few more days before the 2009 drafts appear.

Yarndley Farms

Twisted Stick Lodge

Alta Dream Lodge

Jubilee Park

Stonewall Stud

If you have yearlings at the upcoming sale or know anybody that does, get in touch with Harnesslink today. We can build you an affordable website to showcase all of your yearling, including photos, videos, and horse history.

We also offer DIY websites, for as little as $300/year. You can view our various website packages here: http://www.harnesslink.com/products.sitepackages/

We also make every effort to promote companies that have websites with us, including free advertising around Harnesslink, which is read by close to 150,000 people each month.

im going...anyone else coming????

You paying,I'll go

buy somethin ok and send it west lol we'll make a fortune

Dad's paying !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i think i will buy something, because we have a yearling filly at home, so will be good to have a colt as well...

and i can check out kates first's foal while im there..maybe steal it and bring it home with me

i wish our money was like WA's....but im not allowed in that state, so i wont be able to see my horse if i send it there

i'll send pics and updates dates lisa you can count on me

and yes agree so many states are really laging in the stake money i just wonder how they make a living in SA.I feel for those buggers

Prominent Waiau Pa breeder, Tony Dickinson looks set to create a personal milestone at the Australasian Classic Yearling Sale at Karaka on February 14, but he is also very aware that the world-wide economic climate could play its part.

"It can still be a successful sale if vendors realise the world-wide financial situation might not be as bad as people think. Race stakes and the profile of harness racing still seems in good heart, so there's no reason why it can't be a good sale again," Dickinson said.

The Franklin breeder and his wife Val own Alta Dream Lodge. They bred 12 yearlings this season but only the top five will up for grabs at Karaka. Their lots are Lot 40: Charlemagne (Earl/Lady Odette/Armbro Invasion); Lot 96: Alta Ricardo (Allamerican Theory/Right This Time/Fake Left); Lot 131: Alta Tallyho (Live Or Die/Alcheringa/Dream Away); Lot 143: Alta Madeleine (Grinfromeartoear/Alta Magari/Dexter Nukes); and Lot 160: Alta Audacious (Mach Three/Bally Hanover/Kentucky Spur).

It's the latter brown colt that Dickinson, a former president of the North Island Breeder's Association, is excited about.

"There are only two Mach Three colts in the whole sale and I'm hopeful he will fetch a nice price. I imported his dam, Ballie Hanover from Chicago about 12 years ago. She was an eight-win horse who went 1:56. She is from a real good family which possesses a heap of black type," Dickinson said.

Dickinson has owned standardbreds for about 30 years and has been breeding them for just over a decade. He has sold some nice horses in the past decade with his best being open class Fake Left mare, Alta Serena who won 21 races and $593,618. Incredibly she was bought at the sales for a paltry $4500.

However Dickinson's highest price fetched was $47,000 for Alta Latino at the 2005 sale. That In The Pocket gelding was exported to Australia in March having won one of his 14 starts and placed in four others.

"I would like to think that I could beat that personal best of $47,000. The Mach Three colt is my best in the sale and he has the bloodlines to fetch a really nice price. Any other year I would be confident but the way the dollar is at the moment you can never tell," Dickinson said.

"He is a medium sized brown colt with very good conformation," he added.

Dickinson said he likes to sell all of his horses at the yearling sales.

"I only buy back the ones that don't sell," he stressed.

Over the years Dickinson has owned and had sahres in some very nice standardbreds, the best of which was 27-win pacer Facta Non Verba, who won $532,035. The Tuapeka Knight gelding, who is now 14, finished a neck-second behind stablemate Gracious Knight in the 2002 New Zealand Cup. His main victories included the Easter Cup, the Franklin Cup, and the City Of Sails Free-For-All.

Duane RANGER (editor)

The North Island Standardbred Breeders Association's bus tour to the stables of nine different Auckland preparers didn't exactly go to plan today (Tuesday), but distractions aside, the tour was a success.

Thirty-three prospective buyers had a huge day to contend with after three different incidents delayed their schedule by two hours.

They still managed to view about 90 yearlings but their patience must have been tested come late afternoon. In the morning the bus was caught up in a three-car pile up west of Auckland. Some vehicles had a four-hour wait, the tour managed to get away in 40 minutes.

Then on the North Shore one of the tour-party collapsed and suffered a minor head injury and had to be taken away in an ambulance. After that second delay the inevitable third happened when a truck near Clevedon broke its gear box causing yet another familiar Auckland traffic jam.

Nonetheless, when the tour party and spokesperson Cathie Shaw arrived at their seventh venue - the Logan Hollis and Shane Robertson Equine Services stable in Pukekohe the visitors were still surprisingly in high spirits - Stig's owner Jim Boyd, especially! They were also fixated to the 11 colts and six fillies immaculately presented to them by Hollis and Robertson.

Waikato horseman Bryan Macey was first to arrive. Then came Southland legend Kirk Larsen. Not long after neighbour James Stormont bowled on in. They all arrived before the bus. Then the bus came at 5pm - two hours late.

The standardbreds came out like clockwork, from Lot 2 (a Rocknroll Hanover-Erin Brockovich colt) right through to their last exhibit, lot 90 - Another Time (a Red River Hanover-Ragtime Rosie filly).

Hollis was pleased with the way his team presented the horses.

"We are slowly getting used to it after doing three initially two years ago and then nine last year. This year we have 19 at the sale. We still have just under a month to have them looking at their best. Today is all about people familiarising themselves with the yearlings," Hollis said.

Shaw said despite the big day the tour party was pleased with the quality of yearlings they saw.

"All up I'd say we saw about 90 yearlings. The incidents and time delay aside, it was a success," Shaw said.

The tour visited Bruce Carter's Kumeu property; Highfield Stud at Albany; Auckland Trotting Club president Rod Croon's Clevedon property; Woodland Stud in Clevedon; Stonewall Stud in at Ardmore; Alta Dream Lodge in Waiau Pa; Hollis and Robertson Equine Servicers in Pukekohe; Alabar Stud in Waiau Pa and Top Notch Lodge also in Pukekohe.

Shaw said the two tours were a great way for prospective buyers to sight some of the horses on offer at the 2009 Australasian Classic Yearling Sale at Karaka Sales Complex on February 14.

"We will be visiting several Waikato preparers tomorrow (Wednesday) and the tour party will get the opportunity to view another 70 to 80 yearlings. This is my fifth year doing this and every year it is becoming more and more popular. I think tours like this are here to stay," Shaw said.

"The bus trips are also free, which is a bonus," she added.

Tomorrow Shaw said the bus would depart at 7am (Alexandra Park), 7.30am (Karaka) and 8.50am (Cambridge Raceway).

Duane RANGER (editor)

have you all got your catalogue to go through, i have marked mine on a page and keep showing it to dad hoping he will give in!!!!!!! but its going through the sales on the Tuesday...why Tuesday we race then, so if dad gives in, we are just getting the Spicers to give him the once over...mum has told me she will give me the money, which i sure dad would love a nice little colt just happen to arrive...

I'll ask again Kite.....are you paying for air fares to NZ

im not going anymore, we will be racing on the day they horse i want is going through the sales....geez ananz, cant you afford 600bucks to get there and back?!?! and if i do go, i get free accomodation at the home of Kates First little foal, the Spicers place..

nah my money is in the bank waiting to buy my house, not a silly horse...