Photo: Trish Dunell
Waikato Stud have announced their stallion roster for the 2022 breeding season.
The roster is headed by the seven-time New Zealand Champion and leading Australasian sire of stakes winners, Savabeel, and he is now joined by his abundantly talented Group One-winning son, Noverre.
Continuing on from last year’s extremely successful racing season where Waikato Stud was crowned top breeder and leading vendor at Karaka, the current season has been one of the very best in the farm’s history.
The WS brand has been proudly carried to victory on the shoulder of Group One winners Probabeel (Caulfield Stakes), Tiptronic (Zabeel Classic), Never Been Kissed (Flight Stakes), Mo’unga (Winx Stakes), as well as our newest stallion, Noverre, in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas.
“Australasian racing is the world pinnacle at the moment and we live to be a part of it,” Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick said.
“We want what we breed and rear to succeed. We want the breeders that send their mares to our stallions to succeed. We want the trainers that have our progeny to succeed. The last few years, and especially the last 12 months, have been such an exciting and bouyant time for our industry and for all those involved in our Stud.
“Savabeel is a once-in-a-lifetime stallion, while Ocean Park keeps hitting those top marks and Tivaci is following suit with his exciting start at stud.
“And of course the latest highlight has been the arrival of our newest stallion and Savabeel’s heir apparent, in Noverre. He’s let down beautifully and is a fantastic addition to our roster, which is rounded out by our son of Written Tycoon, Banquo. We’re really looking forward to the coming season.”
Waikato Stud proudly offers seven stallions for 2022:
Savabeel - Private
Super Seth - $35,000 + GST (LFG)
Ocean Park - $30,000 + GST (LFG)’
Tivaci - $20,000 + GST (LFG)
Noverre - $10,000 + GST (LFG)
Ardrossan - $6,000 + GST (LFG)
Banquo - $4,000 + GST (LFG)
Savabeel – Private
The perennial Savabeel, in the tradition of his sire Zabeel and grandsire Sir Tristram, continually goes from strength-to-strength. Worldwide, Savabeel has now sired 27 Group One winners and 125 stakes winners to take his total earnings to almost NZ$143 million in 12 different countries. On the world’s most competitive racing stage, Australia, his progeny has won over A$63 million.
This season alone, six of his progeny have won at Group One level - Mo’unga, Probabeel, Noverre, The Chosen One, The Perfect Pink and Savy Yong Blonk, more than any other sire in Australasia.
Last season, Savabeel claimed his seventh consecutive Champion New Zealand Sire title, seventh Dewar Award, and sixth Centaine Award.
Savabeel is the current leading Australasian sire of Stakes winners with 17 winners of 28 races.
Super Seth – $35,000 + GST (LFG)
It takes an exceptional horse to win the Caulfield Guineas, a stallion-making race won by our third season sire Super Seth. His grandsire, Redoute’s Choice won the same race in the record time of 1.35.8 and became Champion Sire of Australia on three occasions. Other legendary names etched in Caulfield Guineas history include Vain, Mahogany, Manikato, Red Anchor, Luskin Star, and Tulloch.
When Super Seth won the 2019 renewal of the race, he gave the previously undefeated Alligator Blood six lengths start and ran him down. He displayed electrifying speed in winning his debut start as a two-year-old by six lengths. When retired to Waikato Stud in 2020, he had earned A$1.7 million.
Super Seth has superb conformation and quality. His pedigree is instantly attractive as a son of the highly successful sire and former NZ Horse of the Year in Dundeel and half-brother to the multiple stakes-winner Wild Planet.
Super Seth attracted a high-quality full book of 130 mares for his 2020 debut season, with more than half being black-type performers or producers of such. This trend continued for his second season, as breeders were continually delighted with the quality of his foals.
A striking son of Dundeel whose progeny sold for up to $1.7 million at the recent Inglis Easter Sale, Super Seth’s first crop will debut at the yearling sales in 2023.
“Super Seth is everything we want in a stallion. His foals are outstanding and are giving us a lot to anticipate in the future,” Chittick said.
Super Seth’s service fee for 2022 is $35,000 plus GST, live foal guarantee.
Ocean Park – $30,000 + GST (LFG)
Exceptional mare Tofane has continued to showcase the elite level of performance that can be delivered by the progeny of Ocean Park, with the Gr.1 CF Orr Stakes added to her portfolio of four Group One victories.
Showing versatility in distance and track rating, Ocean Park’s progeny has now produced 515 race wins from 212 winners, including 17 black-type winners.
His other Group-winning horses include Gr.1 Epsom Handicap winner Kolding, G1 Auckland Cup winner Ocean Billy, Star of the Seas, Oceanex, Another Dollar, Our Hail Mary, and Out Of The Park.
His offspring have already won almost $38 million and continue to go from strength to strength.
Ocean Park’s service fee for 2022 is $30,000 plus GST, live foal guarantee.
Tivaci – $20,000 + GST (LFG)
The eagerly anticipated debut of Tivaci’s progeny on the racecourses of Australasia has been warmly received after impressive performances.
The emerging sire quickly delivered his first Group One success when Never Been Kissed won the Gr.1 ATC Flight Stakes in October 2021. Further Group success continued with two-year-old filly Wolverine claiming back-to-back Group Two victories in the Wakefield Challenge and Eclipse Stakes.
With 26 wins from 19 winners, Tivaci also boasts another two black-type performers in Outfit and Just Maybe, and earnings over $1.8 million.
These racetrack performances ensured his progeny were in high demand in the sale ring, selling for up to $420,000 at Karaka. He averaged over NZ$180,000 across all sales, an impressive nine times his service fee the year the yearlings were conceived.
Noverre – $10,000 + GST (LFG)
Noverre is a Group One-winning son of Savabeel and Waikato Stud’s newest stallion addition.
An exceptional type, Noverrre was an NZ$800,000 yearling purchase for Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis at the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka, topping the Waikato Stud draft that year.
After finishing second on debut as a 2-year-old over 1200m, he broke his maiden three weeks later. He won the Gr.3 War Decree Stakes (1600m) in late October, before displaying a scintillating burst to go from last to first delivering a mind-blowing victory in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas at Riccarton, assuring his position on the Waikato Stud roster.
Noverre is a big, strapping, dark horse, like his sire. He has let down into a beautiful horse, both physically and mentally ahead of the upcoming breeding season.
Noverre stands for his first season at stud in 2022 for $10,000 + GST, live foal guarantee.
Ardrossan – $6,000 + GST (LFG)
Impressing buyers at this season’s yearling sales, Ardrossan’s first crop progeny fetched up to NZ$160,000 in the ring and averaged well over 10 times his service fee.
The warm reception to his yearlings was no surprise, with the beautifully-bred Ardrossan leaving progeny in the mould of his outstanding type. He is by the renowned sire and sire of sires in Redoute’s Choice (sire of Snitzel and Not A Single Doubt) and is from the ATC G3 Gimcrack Stakes placegetter Miss Argyle, by Iglesia, dam of Incentivise (Shamus Award).
Ardrossan displayed abundant Group One ability on the racetrack, winning the Gr.3 ARC Concorde then finishing a head and a nose behind multiple Group 1 winners Melody Belle and Bostonian in the Gr.1 Waikato BCD Sprint over 1400 metres.
“It’s been a great start to Ardrossan’s journey, from his first season through to his results at the sales, where he’s been following horses with a much higher profile,” Chittick said.
Ardrossan’s service fee for 2022 is $6,000 plus GST, live foal guarantee.
Banquo – $4,000 + GST (LFG)
Heading into his second season at stud, Banquo is the first son of Australian Champion Sire, Written Tycoon to stand in New Zealand.
An impressive type from a great Australian sprint family, Banquo earned his place on the roster after several quality wins over sprint distances. He broke his maiden in his fourth start before backing up 12 days later to win the 2019 Listed Springtime Stakes at Flemington over 1400m on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Banquo is a brother to G1 Oakleigh Plate winner Booker. His dam, Noondie was a winner over 1200m and is by Flying Spur, successful broodmare sire of Champion stallion Sebring and young Group 1 winning stallions Pierata and Preferment.
After being well supported in his debut season, Banquo stands for his second season at stud in 2022 for $4,000 + GST, with a live foal guarantee, as we eagerly await his first crop foals.
