WS graduate Honour Roll out to add stakes success at Otaki

Waikato Stud will be cheering on one of its promising graduates on Friday when Honour Roll contests the Listed John Turkington Forestry Castletown Stakes (1200m) at Otaki.

The WS-bred son of the late Champion sire Savabeel is out of the mare Honor and was offered in the WS Book 1 draft at the 2025 New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale, where he was knocked down to Te Akau Racing principal Sir David Ellis for $190,000.

The two-year-old has since developed into one of the more promising juveniles in the country’s leading stable, and he heads to Otaki as an even money favourite for Friday’s feature.

Honour Roll placed on debut over 1000m at Tauherenikau on Waitangi Day before being gelded, and he returned to win fresh-up over 1200m at Matamata in May.

“He was quite colty but now that he is a gelding he is putting it together,” said Mark Walker, who trains Honour Roll in partnership with Sam Bergerson.

“He has had a jumpout (since his last start) at the home track (Matamata) because the trials didn’t really fit in, and that kept ticking him over nicely.”

Honour Roll will jump from barrier 12 under Michael McNab, with Walker confident he will handle the Heavy10 conditions currently on offer at Otaki.

“He has drawn wide, but it is a Heavy track so they will probably be coming down that part of the track anyway,” Walker said.

“Matamata was pretty wet that day (he won) and he skipped through it pretty well, so he should be fine (on a Heavy track), he certainly gets through the ground.

“It is a pretty even field on Friday so we will see how we go.”

While the Listed Phils Electrical & Gipsy Caravans Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Otaki in a fortnight presents another black-type option, Walker indicated the stable will likely bypass that race in favour of next month’s Gr.3 Cambridge Stud Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) at Ruakaka.

“We might give him a bit of time to get over it and maybe we head to the Ruakaka race, but Sam and I will just see how he pulls up,” Walker said.

Meanwhile, the family continues to flourish at Waikato Stud, with Honor the dam of an Ardrossan weanling colt and back in foal to the farm’s exciting young stallion after being served by him again.