Cover image courtesy of Windsor Park Stud
Run by Windsor Park Stud at Riccarton Racecourse, the Rugby, Racing and Beer Sale is a charitable lunch that will raise funds for the St Johns Ambulance and the New Zealand Horse Ambulance Trust. Taking centre stage at the lunch is an auction of 11 yearlings collated by Windsor Park Stud.
“The main idea, back when we started, was to have a corporate lunch and a Hong Kong style sale,” said Windsor Park Stud’s Rodney Schick.
“In the early days, the South Island had lost their annual sale there, so I thought it was an opportunity to take some horses down there to sell and have a bit of fun, and it’s grown from there.”
Celebrating five years
The 2026 event is the fifth year that the event will be held, and has Bjorn Baker and Andy Ellis as guest speakers at the sold out lunch. Ellis played in the 2011 Rugby World Cup-winning team for the All Blacks, and Baker is a well-regarded trainer in Sydney with deep New Zealand family roots.
Rodney Schick | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“We've had Ciaron Maher come over (in previous years) to be a speaker, Peter Moody came one year, Will Hayes came last year. And Bjorn is coming this year. It gives people access to some really high class quality trainers or industry people,” said Schick.
“We've got Andy Ellis, who is a World Cup-winning All Black speaking as well, and he's a great character. He's a TV host of one of the most popular TV shows here.”
Ellis played 28 matches for the All Blacks.
Charity aspect of the sale
To raise funds for charity, Windsor Park are donating 2.5% of every sale over $15,000 (per horse) to the two charity partners. Additionally, there will be two other items auctioned for charity. An equine insurance package which includes mortality insurance of up to the horse’s value of $50,000, while Bjorn Baker has donated a 2025 Wallabies jersey for auction.
“The charity partners are an important aspect of it. We understand there are people in need at certain times. In the past, we've helped individuals that have needed some help, whether it's through sickness or injury.
“The charity partners are an important aspect of it. In the past, we've helped individuals that have needed some help, whether it's through sickness or injury.” - Rodney Schick
“This year, we are supporting St John Ambulance and the horse ambulance. Two really, really important causes for racing. I had a bad accident last year and St John's was a massive help for me, and for my family.”
St John Ambulance | Image courtesy of St John Ambulance
The event is run with the help of sponsors to keep costs low and ensure that more money gets to charity.
“We've got two really good partners this year in Kia Cars and Bayleys Real Estate, who are the premier real estate company in New Zealand, so two very high-class partners to come on board, and Entain have also supported us a lot over the years.”
The draft of 11 yearlings
With past graduates of the sale including Enver Jusufovic-trained Proved (NZ) (Time Test {GB}) who has won six of her eight starts in Australia including the G3 How Now Stakes, and Listed Dunedin Guineas winner Collect Your Cash (NZ) (Ragesse), buyers know that these horses are proper prospects.
“We've got a really beautiful draft this year. Some horses aren't forward enough to go to (main yearling) sales. Some may have had little problem early on or just didn't quite make the sales for some reason or another, and so they’ve ended up here. It's a really nice bunch of horses, so we're pretty excited,” said Schick.
“I take them there to sell, and we've got Steve Davis there, arguably one of the best auctioneers in the world to run the auction and he has a lot of fun doing that.”
Profondo | Standing at Windsor Park Stud, NZ
The draft of 11 for 2026 includes three colts and eight fillies. Four are by Windsor Park Stud’s exciting first season sire Profondo, who sold very well throughout the sales season this year. Among them is the filly, Lot 4 who is the second foal of winning mare Lagertha (NZ) (Thewayyouare {USA}) who is a half-sister to tough Group 3 winner Volks Lightning (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}).
Lot 6 is a filly who is the first foal of winning mare Leonaroar (NZ) (Turn Me Loose {NZ}), a half-sister to G3 Caulfield Classic victor Mr Maestro (NZ) (Savabeel) from the family of dual Group 1 winner Lion Tamer (NZ) (Storming Home {GB}).
Lot 6 - Profondo x Leonaroar filly | Image courtesy of Windsor Park Stud
“We’ve got a couple of nice Ocean Park fillies, and obviously, he's a sire of the moment, who is making a huge resurgence at the moment, with the Oaks winner, and he’s always been a very good sire. It’s nice to have a couple of those in there.”
Lot 1 is an Ocean Park (NZ) filly from unraced mare Steps (NZ) (Pentire {GB}) who has produced 2-year-old winner Pink Gin (NZ) (Time Test {GB}), and is a half-sister to dual Group 2 winner Lady Kipling (NZ) (Savabeel). The other Ocean Park is Lot 7, a filly from Up A Ghia (NZ) (Pins) who is a half-sister to G2 Eulogy Stakes-placed Rip Into Ghia (NZ) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}).
Lot 1 - Ocean Park x Steps filly | Image courtesy of Windsor Park Stud
Rounding out the draft is a filly who has had a recent pedigree update due to G2 Reisling Stakes winner Chayan (I Am Invincible) whose dam Group 3 winner Lubiton (Snitzel) is a half-sister to Lot 11’s unraced dam Shangri La (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}). Lot 11 is by proven Group 1 sire Ghibellines.
A fun introduction to the sales ring
This sale isn’t quite like a traditional horse auction with the horses paraded as they sell. The sale will happen through lunch with parades occurring beforehand. It’s designed to introduce people to the process while enjoying a top quality lunch.
“A sale complex can be quite intimidating for some people, and this is just a way for people that may not be entrenched industry people to have a bit of a taste of the racing environment and come and buy a horse and be part of a syndicate.
“I think we've got 35 or 36 trainers coming. This way, they want to buy a piece of a horse, and it's a fun way to do it.
“I think we've got 35 or 36 trainers coming. This way, they want to buy a piece of a horse, and it's a fun way to do it.” - Rodney Schick
“We fly all the horses down there. They landed there yesterday morning, and then we’ll parade them for the next two days. In the morning, just before we go for lunch, we do a champagne parade where you have a glass of champagne, while you watch the horses parade.
“All the horses go back to the stables, and then we have the corporate lunch, and the horses are sold off their parade videos.”
As this is a simple auction done for charitable purposes. And fun, as emphasised by Schick on several occasions, the auction is done over lunch and there is no online bidding possible.
“If someone sees something they like, there are plenty of trainers present (at the lunch) to either call or call one of us and we can put you onto someone, and it will be live on Facebook.
“It’s a really fun event for racing.”
“It’s a really fun event for racing.” - Rodney Schick
While tickets for the lunch are already sold out, there is still the chance to get involved by buying a horse.
Who knows? Your new yearling might be the next Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) who was raised on the pastures at Windsor Park Stud.
