The Next Chapter in Kia Ora’s Headline-Making Legacy

Since 1914, Kia Ora Stud has been a defining force in Australian breeding and racing. From Melbourne Cup winners and Cox Plate champions to Derby heroes and elite Group 1 performers, the Hunter Valley nursery has built a legacy of bloodlines that don’t just perform, they make headlines.

As Kia Ora’s select draft takes its place at the 2026 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, that legacy comes sharply into focus. Comprising 13 yearlings by some of the industry’s most sought-after sires, the draft reflects both the strength of the farm’s broodmare band and its continued commitment to breeding at the highest level.

Kia Ora’s honour roll is built on consistency, featuring 2026 G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Tropicus, who will in time take his place on the stud’s stallion roster, while recent graduates include Champion Hong Kong Sprinter Wellington, Champion 3YO Filly Loving Gaby and Group 1 winner and now Group-producing sire Wild Ruler.

 

 

The 2025/26 racing season has only reinforced that momentum. From select numbers, current season Kia Ora-bred headliners include Tropicus, Group-winning two-year-olds Warwoven and Pembrey, stakes winner and dual Group 1 runner-up My Gladiola, Group winner Inkaruna, plus stakes placegetters Farnicle, I’m Ya Huckleberry, Invincible Son, Just A Journey and Fire Star.

Since 2017, 16% of Kia Ora graduates have earned black type, while an outstanding 75% of yearlings offered have gone on to win, a record that places the stud firmly among the best in the business.

“It’s been a big 12 months, and we couldn’t be happier with what the farm has produced,” said Kia Ora’s Bloodstock and Breeding Manager Shane Wright.

“My Gladiola has done a terrific job representing Kia Ora. She would be a dual Group 1 winner now if she hadn’t bumped into Tentyris twice, but there are plenty more races to come and she’s very deserving of a big one herself.”

 

 

The past 12 months in particular have been exceptional for Kia Ora, highlighted by the strength of its two-year-olds, with no fewer than seven stakes-winning or placed juveniles bred by the stud.

“For a farm that doesn’t sell a lot of yearlings each year, to have seven two-year-olds in the space of 12 months performing at that level really reflects what we’re trying to produce and why buyers have confidence when they look at our draft at the sales,” Wright said.

Kia Ora’s Inglis Easter draft is packed with quality, featuring some of the stud book’s most successful and proven families.

Among the highlights is a standout filly, the I Am Invincible filly out of G1 New Zealand Oaks winner and Champion 3YO Filly Jennifer Eccles (NZ), whose first foal is the city-winning juvenile and stakes-placed two and three-year-old Farnicle (Lot 363).

 

 

“She is exactly what you want in a Vinnie. She has class, an excellent physique, everything you look for. She’s as close to a perfect filly as you’ll find, with the temperament and quality to match. She’s a real collector’s item,” Wright said.

Kia Ora will offer four fillies by four-time Champion Sire Snitzel, with a head-turner among them being the first foal from four-time stakes winner Mileva (Lot 429).

 

 

“She’s a first foal but you’d never know it. Snitzel does a very good job with maiden mares, and you can really see that in this filly. Her dam was a tough filly, a seven-time winner that ran in some very good races, and to get a foal like this first up really sets the mare up for the future,” Wright said.

Another highlight within the draft is the first foal from Group-winning three-year-old Pavitra, who was second in both the G1 VRC Oaks and G1 Vinery Stud Stakes (Lot 12).

 

 

“This is a very special filly for us. It’s a family Mr Krishnan had a lot of time for, and now we’re seeing just how successful it has become. I think she’s going to be a very versatile Snitzel. She could be an early two-year-old, train on at three and beyond, and whoever buys her is going to have a lot of fun with her, especially given her residual value,” Wright said.

Another standout within the Kia Ora draft is a Zoustar filly out of multiple stakes winner Ravi, a six-time winner who has produced four to race, all winners, including dual Group 3 winner Inkaruna, alongside six-time winner Pasima, Now Is The Hour and Ravin (Lot 40).

 

 

“She’s a beautiful filly. Well made, powerful and forward, with a great attitude. We race Inkaruna and she’s been a very good filly for us, winning Group races at two and three, and hopefully there’s plenty more to come over the Sydney carnival,” Wright said.

Lot 459 offers further appeal as a colt out of the stakes-producing Zabeel mare Nakataan (NZ), a half-brother to Political Debate, winner of the Listed BRC The Phoenix Stakes and runner-up in the G1 JJ Atkins.

 

 

“I absolutely love this colt. He could be the best Farnan we’ve put through the ring and one of the best I’ve personally laid eyes on. He’s a half-brother to Political Debate, who was a very good two-year-old and trained on well. This colt looks like he has all the attributes to follow in his footsteps and go on with it,” Wright said.

Click here to view Kia Ora’s Inglis Easter draft.

Ready to make headlines? Get in touch with Shane Wright (+61 401 406 120) or Allison Sedgwick (+61 407 768 846) for enquiries about Kia Ora Stud’s Inglis Easter draft.