One of the highest profile of the country and the most influential breeders is convinced that there will be spin-offs for all racing codes from the free trade agreement of New Zealand with the United Arab Emirates.
Ken and Karen Breckon, who own the award-winning Breckon Farms, recently organized a delegation with the chairman and chief executive of Tab New Zealand, Bill Birnie and Nick Roberts and the ambassador of the VAE in New Zealand, his Excellency Alrii Alri.
“To have someone here at that level of the VAE, shows that they are serious about viewing opportunities in the blood stock industry of Nieuw -Zeeland,” says Breckon.
The visit of his Excellency followed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that came into force on 28 August 2025. It is the first free trade agreement of New -Zeeland in the Middle East.
“New Zealand has more than a billion dollar in export to the VAE every year and that figure will increase exponentially in the following decade,” says Breckon, “that’s an incredible chance.”
It is also not only a top breeder that Breckon represents the interests of Harness Racing in a powerful committee set up to advise the NZ tab. It stemmed from an idea of the Race Minister Winston Peters, Bill Birnie and Sir Peter Vela, chairman of the committee.
Breckon Farms was located in Ohaupo in Waikato and was set up more than ten years ago. Last year it underwent a substantial upgrade to an ultramodern facility with storage for 48 horses, function rooms and a par approach.
“We drove him around the farm and showed him the investment here and to present harness races with which they are not known,” says Breckon.
De Breckons also showed Mr Alremzi repetitions of some of their best horses who won large races, including Millionaire Trotter I Can Boxit, the winner of 18 in a row, and undefeated superstar Millwood Nike who won 17 before retired last year.
“We brought that I can do for the day he really enjoyed.”
The VAE has no ties with armor races at all. It is a thoroughbred powerhouse that is worth billions. Under his selection framework races are the Dubai World Cup, one of the world’s richest breeds.
But Breckon says that this does not mean that there will be no opportunities.
“In the future, they could invest in our industry through studs or by buying in top brood march, stallions or in horses at group level.”
“Then there are other activities in New -Zeeland, such as the way we train horses, veterinarians and horse welfare and technologies on performance monitoring and analysis that are of world class.”
“There are many lessons in the VAE that we can learn from and vice versa.”
Breckon is cheerful. The relationship between the two countries will flourish. One of the short -term plans is to have its excellence organized in Karaka next year, because it celebrates 100 years of National Yearling Sales in New Zealand.
By Harness racing new -zeeland
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