Super Savabeel scoops the pool

Waikato Stud have made another clean sweep of the stallion titles. The Matamata farm has dominated the awards in recent times and it was more of the same in a highly satisfying 2015-2016.

Savabeel was the star of the show by claiming the Grosvenor Award for the New Zealand sires’ premiership and the Dewar Award (champion NZ-based sire by Australasian progeny earnings) and the Centaine Award (champion NZ-based sire by global progeny earnings). “Savabeel has done a wonderful job world-wide,” stud principal Mark Chittick said.

“At home, he’s been outstanding with the likes of Group One winners Kawi and Sound Proposition and in Australia his daughter Lucia Valentina has always been at the top level. The way she won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes was fantastic and, interestingly, Savabeel has also produced six two-year-old stakes winners. He’s extremely versatile and, once again, the way his yearlings sold at Karaka showed that the Australians love him.”

Associate sire Pins also enjoyed another strong season with his chief flagbearer the international Group One winner Aerovelocity. “Pins just keeps leaving stakes winners and he always seem to have a top class horse or two around, he’s been terrific,” Chittick said.

Meanwhile, the farm is looking forward to spring appearances of the first racing crop of young sires Ocean Park and Rock ‘N’ Pop. “They will be hitting the tracks and that’s going to be really exciting for us – the chat around them has been good from those with them,” Chittick said.

Meanwhile, Sacred Falls made an excellent start to his stud career in 2015 with 130 mares in foal. O’Reilly’s son returned home after an illustrious racing career that netted him four Group One titles and he became the first colt in 50 years to claim consecutive Doncaster Handicaps.