Rios off the mark

15 February 2014

Former top-class performer Rios has opened his stallion account with the aptly-named Happy Place. The lightly-tried three-year-old was successful at New Plymouth this afternoon to post an overdue win for Matamata trainer and part-owner Danica Guy.

The gelding suffered an interrupted run when beaten on debut and then finished a sound second on his home track last month. In one subsequent appearance, he clipped heels and nearly fell when looking for clear room at Te Rapa.

Happy Place is from a small first crop of the WS-based Rios, a regally-bred son of Hussonet who won six races, including the Gr 2 Wellington Guineas and was placed in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas. He is out of the former NZ Broodmare of the Year Gussy Godiva and is a half-brother to the Gr 1 Australian Derby winner Roman Emperor. It is a family that also includes Black Mamba, a Kiwi-bred Group One winner in the United States.

Matings Mix: Waikato’s Skew Wiff set for date with Ardrossan

Written by The Thoroughbred Report on Monday, 7 September 2026 The Chittick family’s Waikato Stud has long cultivated both a strong broodmare band and a robust, varied roster of stallions to support one another. Their …

7 September 2026

Savabeel honoured with NZTR Award for Outstanding Global Achievement

Waikato Stud is proud to celebrate the recognition of its late sire Savabeel, who was named recipient of the 2026 NZTR Award for Outstanding Global Achievement at Sunday evening’s New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards in Auckland.