Better decisions for an industry built on them

Why we exist

Buying a racehorse is one of the highest-stakes decisions in sport. Thousands of lots, a few frantic days, incomplete information, and results that take years to reveal themselves. Buyers rely on experience, instinct and hard work — walking barns from dawn, marking up catalogues, trying to see every horse that matters.

We think that expertise deserves better tools. Bloodstock AI analyses the whole catalogue — pedigree, physical type, movement, value and risk — and puts a clear, structured picture of every lot in your pocket. Not to replace horsemanship, but to make sure it's pointed at the right horses.

What we believe

• Trust comes first. An insight you can't verify is a liability, not an asset. We'd rather show you less, explained well, than more of a black box.
• Every score explains itself. Every number in the platform comes with its reasoning and a confidence level. Always.
• The sales grounds set the standard. If a feature doesn't work one-handed, in bright sun, on barn wifi — it doesn't ship.
• AI supports the horseman, not the other way around. The final decision belongs to the person who knows the horse, the trainer and the program.

Where we're headed

We're launching with New Zealand Bloodstock's Karaka sales — catalogue browsing, explainable AI reports, shortlisting and inspection tools. From there, our roadmap expands to more sales, deeper movement and conformation analysis, long-term tracking of horses after the sale, and richer collaboration for teams and syndicates.

We're building this alongside the people who will use it. If you buy, sell or advise at the sales, join the beta — your feedback will directly shape the product.

The company

Bloodstock AI Limited is incorporated in New Zealand and based in the Waikato — heartland of the New Zealand thoroughbred industry.

Meet the founder

William Lieshout

For as long as I can remember, horses have been the centre of my life.

Growing up in New Zealand, I spent my childhood riding, competing in eventing, and learning the responsibility, discipline and work ethic that horses demand. My passion for the sport led to me being featured on TVNZ's Young Riders, an experience that reinforced my commitment to pursuing a career in the equine industry.

That passion naturally evolved into a career within the thoroughbred racing industry. I began working at Byerley Park, one of New Zealand's leading racing stables, where I gained hands-on experience with thoroughbreds across every stage of their development — from handling young horses and working with racehorses in training to helping break in future racehorses. Those years taught me lessons no textbook ever could: every horse is an individual, and success comes from understanding conformation, movement, temperament, soundness and the countless small details that influence performance.

Today I work as a farrier, a profession that has deepened my understanding of equine biomechanics, hoof balance and performance. Every day I see firsthand how important soundness is to a horse's career, and how small changes can have a significant impact on performance and longevity. Working closely with trainers, owners, breeders and veterinarians continues to build my understanding of the thoroughbred from the ground up.

Why I built Bloodstock AI

Throughout my career I began noticing something. The thoroughbred industry possesses an incredible amount of knowledge, but much of it exists in people's experience rather than in accessible technology. Buyers often make million-dollar decisions by combining years of expertise with pedigree analysis, conformation assessment, veterinary reports, breeze-up performances and instinct. That expertise is irreplaceable — but I believed technology could help organise information, identify patterns and support better-informed decisions.

That idea became Bloodstock AI: a vision to create the world's most intelligent bloodstock analysis platform while respecting the knowledge and traditions that have made our industry what it is.

Innovation has never been about replacing experience. The best judges of horses will always be experienced horsemen and horsewomen. My belief is that technology should enhance their expertise — not compete with it. Bloodstock AI brings together data that is often scattered across many sources, helping users make more informed decisions while still relying on the instincts and knowledge that define great judges of horses.

My ambition extends beyond building software. I want New Zealand to remain one of the world's leading thoroughbred breeding nations while embracing the opportunities modern technology provides. Our industry has an extraordinary reputation built over generations, and I believe thoughtful innovation can strengthen that reputation for decades to come.

Bloodstock AI represents the intersection of two lifelong passions: horses and technology. Everything we build is guided by practical experience, shaped by conversations with people working in the industry every day, and driven by a genuine desire to contribute something meaningful to the future of thoroughbred breeding and racing.

This is only the beginning.

Our build partner

Engineered with Razor

The technical build of the Bloodstock AI platform is delivered in partnership with Razor, a New Zealand digital agency. Razor leads the engineering of the platform — from product specification and design through to development — working alongside our founder to turn deep industry experience into software that holds up to real sales-ground use.

Keeping the build in New Zealand matters to us: the platform is designed here, for the way our industry actually works, with Karaka as its first home.