NZ Herald asks Karaka 2022 Key Questions

The New Zealand Herald’s Michael Guerin sat down with Stephen to ask him what he’s looking for, and what he’s hoping to achieve, at the Karaka yearling sales starting on Monday.

“How active does your stable intend being at Karaka next week?”

We plan to be very active at this year’s sale. We made a commitment to buy exclusively from the NZB yearling sale once the sale date changed, our investment last year was substantial and we plan to increase that again next week. Adding new quality stock that we like now is crucial to the success of our stable over the next 3-5 seasons.

“What research and preparation came gone in?”

Myself, Dad (Bruce Marsh) together with agent Dylan Johnson have inspected every yearling on farm, we have devoted more time and resource than we ever have to preparing for this year’s sale.

“Who are you buying for and are their pre-orders or do you buy and then sell shares?”

We largely buy on spec to syndicate out to clients & in conjunction with our premier syndication partner GoRacing. We are fortunate to have a very loyal client base who continue to invest at a high level and we always welcome anyone new who is keen to join our young, vibrant and successful stable.

“How many horses would you like to purchase over next week's two books?”

While we haven’t set a specific amount we would like to buy, we will be purchasing a good number of yearlings, these will be by a range of different stallions at all various price points.

“What is the most important factor, pedigree, type, price or something else?”

Our focus is to select an athlete capable of performing at the elite level, therefor physical attributes (type) is a vital starting point. Pedigree plays a significant role and when we go into battle we are trying to secure horses at the best possible value!

“Who is your greatest Karaka success story?”

We have had incredible success through horses brought at Karaka, horses like Sofia Rosa, Lucia Valentina, Atishu & Ruud Awakening etc are all Marsh racing trained products from Karaka. It is where Dad & I famously brought the top galloper and Derby winner Hail from, something he reminds us of most days!

“If people want to know more about racing a horse with you, where do they go?”

We are active on all social media platforms and there is plenty of information on our website. I am still of fan of dealing with clients directly so would encourage anyone who is interested in joining our stable to contact me (Stephen) on 027 228 8889 or at marsracing@xtra.co.nz