Cover image courtesy of The Oaks Stud
Written by Paul Vettise
The Oaks Stud will be a notable absentee from yearling auctions in 2021 with the Cambridge farm to pursue alternative selling options in a one-off approach.
The farm’s Queensland-based owner Dick Karreman and General Manager Rick Williams will hold their yearling crop back from all sales and favour other avenues later in the year.
“We decided we would hang on to them at this stage and we’ll look at the Ready to Run Sales, it will suit the bigger Darci Brahma colts. They are liked in Singapore and Hong Kong,” Williams said.
“We’re taking a different approach, more a wait and see one. Yearling sales aren’t the only market out there and we’ve had a lot of success selling out of trials.
“We just felt that it could be a very tough market with no Australian buyers. We would usually sell about 25 yearlings and always keep a few fillies and other horses that aren’t ready for the yearling sale ring.”
The Oaks, home to stallions Darci Brahma (NZ), Niagara and Roc Du Cambes (NZ), is in the enviable of position of not being forced to sell its young stock.
“We are in a very fortunate position, we don’t need the cash flow and not everybody is in that position,” Williams said.
“We are in a very fortunate position, we don’t need the cash flow and not everybody is in that position.” – Rick Williams
“We’ve had an extremely successful sub-division of 10 per cent of the farm, which is all done and dusted and sold so we’re in a position that we don’t have to sell like we normally would.
“If we can come up with a few trial winners and Ready to Run horses you tend to do a little bit better than you do selling Darcis as yearlings.
“They average around NZ$100,000 at the Premier Sale, NZ$120,000 to NZ$200,000 for an outstanding one. A couple of them sold extremely well at the Ready to Run Sale this year, but you can get a lot more if they can win a trial and look good doing it.”
Darci Brahma (NZ) | Standing at The Oaks Stud
Three Darci Brahma colts were offered at Karaka and sold for NZ$637,500 at an average of NZ$212,500 with the Te Akau’s David Ellis paying the top price of NZ$350,000 for a 2-year-old offered by Derek Nolen’s Lilywhites Lodge.
Williams said current conditions also favoured their 2021 approach.
“The tried horse market is extremely strong right now. We’ll be back at the yearling sales next year, we’ve got a lot of foals by the international stallions and we sent a fair few mares to Australia last year and this year so we’ll be back in the market.
“We’re just using a different strategy and it’s a matter of when you get your income. If you’re confident enough in your product and you think they are good enough to stack up and win trials then there’s more money for them.
“You are taking more risk, but we’re in a position to do it this time.”
The Darci Brahma (NZ) x Granadilla (colt) sold for $350,000
