The New Zealand season that was: 2023/24 summary

Champion New Zealand General Sire

The Grosvenor Award presented to the stallion with the highest progeny earnings for the season in New Zealand has, in recent years been dominated by Waikato Stud’s evergreen Savabeel.

The G1 W.S Cox Plate and G1 Spring Champion S. winning son of the great Zabeel (NZ) records another big win this season; his progeny earnings of $4,863,251 well ahead of Rich Hill Stud’s Proisir who also did a good job with $2,851,190 earned.

The late Tavistock (NZ) fills third placing with $2,573,480; Per Incanto (USA) and El Roca rounding out the top five.

Proisir won this title two seasons back, Savabeel last year back on top having led the way on another eight occasions between 2014 and 2022.

Savabeel also finishes in front by number of winners and wins, 44 of his progeny winning 77 races. And he was the most successful stallion by stakes winners and wins; seven of his sons and daughters between them winning nine stakes races with his biggest earner for the season being the G1 New Zealand Derby winner Orchestral (NZ).

Also, winner of this year’s G2 Avondale Guineas and the R. Listed Karaka 3YO Mile, the Barneswood Farm bred Orchestral brought her good form to Australia winning the G1 Vinery Stud S. before a close up third in the G1 Australian Oaks.orm to Australia winning the G1 Vinery Stud S. before a close up third in the G1 Australian Oaks.

Savabeel’s sire Zabeel is also a multiple winner of this title, claiming success in four consecutive seasons between 1997 and 2001. And of course, his sire Sir Tristram (Ire) was also leading New Zealand sire; surprisingly only once (1986/1987) but most of his leading progeny raced in Australia where he won that title three times, one Zabeel also took home on two occasions. And Zabeel’s grandson Lonhro won one as well; this is some sireline!

Being prepared for his 20th season at stud, Savabeel boasts impressive overall statistics with a 73.2 per cent winners-to-runners strike rate and 11 per cent stakes winners with 33 Group 1 winners amongst his 145 stakes winners.

The Dewar Award, one which takes into account progeny earnings in New Zealand and Australia, was also taken out by Savabeel. And this is the ninth time he has done so. Plus he made it nine wins in a row for the Centaine Award for worldwide progeny earnings.

Savabeel’s progeny amassed over $23 million in prizemoney over the course of the season with four of his progeny winning Group 1 races; Atishu (NZ) taking out the G1 Champions S. and the G1 Queen Of The Turf S., I Wish I Win (NZ) the G1 TJ Smith S. and the G1 Kingsford-Smith Cup, Orchestral the G1 Vinery Stud S. and Skew Wiff the G1 Tarzino Trophy.

Champion New Zealand 3-Year-Old Sire

Savabeel also leads the way in this department with ten of his three-year-olds winning 17 races; three of those winning five stakes races.

Orchestral as already noted was the most successful of those, the other two being the G3 Mufhasa S. winner Certainly (NZ) and the G2 Waikato Guineas winner Ascend The Throne (NZ).

Savabeel’s New Zealand based three-year-olds earned $2,164,935 over the course of the season with two other stallions having seven figure progeny earnings: Almanzor (Fr) with $1,226,010 and U S Navy Flag (USA) with $1,108,330.

Champion New Zealand First Season Sire & Champion New Zealand 2-Year-Old Sire

Waikato Stud have further cause for celebration of the season, their G1 Caulfield Guineas winning Super Seth to be crowned New Zealand’s Champion First Season Sire.

Five of the Dundeel (NZ) stallion’s debut crop 11 runners have been winners, the two times Group placed Poetic Champion (NZ) the highest earner whilst Super Photon was his first local stakes winner.

And he enjoyed Australian success in the shape of Linebacker (NZ), winner of the G3 TL Baillieu H. and second to Broadsiding (Too Darn Hot {GB}) in the G1 Champagne S.

Australian based stallions filled the next three placings in the first season sire chart: Pierata, Cosmic Force and Alabama Express whilst fifth home was Westbury Stud’s Ferrando (NZ).

Super Seth did a good job also finishing fourth in the Champion 2-Year-Old Sire chart, the three above him all Champion stallions: Written Tycoon, Savabeel and I Am Invincible.

Written Tycoon had a particularly good season with his New Zealand based juveniles; their earnings of $1,305,435 putting him well ahead of Savabeel’s $448,650.

Two of Written Tycoon’s daughters won major contests; Velocious taking out the G1 Sistema S. whilst the third home in that race, Captured By Love, won three Group races.

Champion New Zealand Broodmare Sire

Leaving behind a sizeable legacy after his death in 2014, Waikato Stud’s O’Reilly (NZ) has won his fifth leading broodmare sire title and a sizeable win it was too; with progeny earnings of $8,280,725 ahead of the second placed Pins (another Waikato legend) on $3,378,239.

And making it a Waikato trifecta was the only still active horse in the top three; Savabeel with $3,095,275.

In fact, he is the only active stallion in the top five with High Chaparral (Ire) next followed by Zabeel (NZ).

Orchestral was the highest earner for O’Reilly as a broodmare sire and one of his 14 stakes winners of 23 stakes races for the season.

Champion New Zealand Vendor (at New Zealand sales)

The Waikato Stud success story continued at the sales as leading vendors across New Zealand Bloodstock’s sale series; the 2023 Ready to Run Sale, the 2024 National Yearling Sales Series (Book 1 & Book 2), the 2024 National Online Yearling Sale and the 2024 National Weanling Sale.

Waikato sold 63 of the 78 horses they offered for sale; an aggregate of $8,748,900, an average of $138,871 and a top price of $620,000.

Lib and Katrina Petagna’s Elsdon Park also deserve mention having achieved the highest average of those selling three or more horses; 14 of their 15 offered finding new homes for an average of $271,429, a total of $3,800,000 with a top price of $725,000.

This is an edited article originally written by Kristen Manning for TTR AusNZ.