Matings mix: Waikato Stud

Cover image courtesy of Waikato Stud

Waikato Stud has long been regarded as one of Australasia’s best breeding operations and has regularly been the leading vendor at the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale.

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You only have to look at the farm’s honour roll to appreciate it is a nursery of champions. Group 1 winners bred at Waikato Stud include Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel), Mo’unga (NZ) (Savabeel), Never Been Kissed (NZ) (Tivaci) and their newest roster addition, Noverre (NZ).

Not surprisingly, Waikato Stud’s 180-member broodmare band is littered with stakes winners and deep families.

Waikato Stud is home to seven stallions, including Savabeel, who was recently crowned New Zealand’s Champion Sire for the eighth time. There’s no denying Savabeel is the star attraction, but his support cast of G1 Caufield Guineas hero Super Seth, Noverre, Group 1 winner and producer Tivaci, the ultra-reliable Ocean Park (NZ), as well as up-and-comers Banquo and Ardrossan, is mightily impressive.

“We’ve got some lovely mares and I would say at least 60 per cent of them would be under 10 years old,” Chittick told TDN AuzNZ.

“Our stallion roster is a combination of those that are proven, like Savabeel and Ocean Park, plus emerging sires like Super Seth, Ardrossan and Noverre, which makes it a pretty exciting mix.”

The Champion Savabeel is due to celebrate a milestone 21st birthday next month, and his daughters are an increasingly valuable commodity as he becomes more prolific as a broodmare sire.

Chittick said: “As a damsire, he’s already got a few Group 1 winners, so to me, it’s a no-brainer that he’s a fantastic broodmare sire, as well. Being by Zabeel out of a Success Express mare, it makes sense.

“Of the just-turned 2-year-olds, we kept a number of our Savabeel fillies.

“When I took the lion’s share of the ownership of this place 10-odd years ago, I sold some nice fillies to get the bank off my back.

“Savabeel has a lovely bunch of young horses… it (keeping the fillies) was a hard decision to make at the time when you’ve got a lot of running costs, etc., but we’re in it for the long game, so we kept some 15-odd Savabeel fillies. You’ll see them on the racetrack in the next couple of years and then they’ll make their way back into our broodmare band.”

Going back to the king

Both All Saints' Eve (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) and Chandelier (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) are in foal to Savabeel and they will again be covered by him this season.

A daughter of Waikato Stud’s ill-fated sire Sacred Falls (NZ), All Saints' Eve won the G3 Tibbie S. in 2020.

She is a sister to Group 3 winner All Hallows’ Eve (NZ), and a half-sister to Group 1 hero Hasahalo (NZ) (Savabeel) and Group 3 winner Hasabro (NZ) (Savabeel).

All Saints' Eve is in foal to Savabeel and will return to that stallion for her next cover.

“She’ll go to Savabeel, and the philosophy there is crossing with Last Tycoon blood. She’s by Sacred Falls, who is by O’Reilly; that cross has been magic,” said Chittick.

“We’ll start her off with a good, proven stallion.”

Chandelier (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) is the dam of multiple Group 1 winner Mo’unga (NZ) (Savabeel) and has been covered by Savabeel three of the past four seasons.

“When you’ve got a horse like Mo’unga, it makes sense,” Chittick said.

“And the colt by Savabeel out of Chandelier made one-million dollars at Karaka this year.”

Support for a young stallion

Group 1 winner Noverre, who is a son of a gun and the new kid on the block, will be given every opportunity to hit the ground running, with the 4-year-old set to cover some of the farm’s top broodmares.

Chittick has high hopes for Noverre, saying: “I just cannot see him leaving anything short of supermodels, considering what his father leaves, what he looks like himself. To me, it’s a no-brainer that he will leave good types.”

Bred by Waikato Stud, Daffodil (NZ) (No Excuse Needed {GB}) was a star on the track, winning three Group 1s, including the 2009 AJC Australian Oaks.

She is related to the Group 1-winning mare Good Faith (NZ) (Straight Strike {USA}), who has thrown two stakes winners – Mygoodgrace (Royal Academy {USA}) and Tully Dane.

Daffodil has produced multiple winners, including Snowdrop (NZ) (Pins) and Grand Bouquet (NZ) (Savabeel).

She is in foal to Super Seth and will be covered by Noverre.

“She was a very good breeder, but then she got a foot injury and also lost a foal. We couldn’t get her back in foal, but we’re back on track now,” Chittick commented.

“She’s got a Super Seth yearling that is a bloody cracker of a colt.

“Daffodil is an older mare, it’s a nice cross, we’ve done some pedigree work on it and she’s going to get a chance with the new stallion (Noverre). He’s a good-looking horse, she leaves a good-looking type, and it gives him a Group 1 winning mare in his first year.”

Eudora (NZ) (Pins) was bred by Waikato Stud produced Savvy Coup (NZ) (Savabeel) a two-time Group 1 winner. Currently, in foal to Super Seth, she will also visit Noverre.

“This mare has been a ripper, she’s produced a Group 1 winner. She’s only got one eye and has been pretty well all her life.” Chittick said.

“We are having a little bit of trouble getting her in foal and getting live foals out of her, so we’ll give her a crack with the young horse this year. The cross has worked with Savvy Coup and Savabeel, so we’ll give the young boy a nice mare there.”

Unraced Hopscotch (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), just like Eudora, has too has thrown a Group 1 winner – 2021 New Zealand Oaks heroine Amarelinha (NZ) (Savabeel).

Amarelinha’s 3-year-old sister, Marelle (NZ) (Savabeel), who was bred and is raced by Waikato Stud, debuted with a fourth two weeks ago for Chris Waller.

Hopscotch is in foal to Super Seth and will be covered by Noverre.

“Both Amarelinha and Marelle are Savabeels, so we’ll follow that Savabeel line, which she probably will appreciate. We’ll give her a younger stallion just for a bit of a change."

Tivaci looks to take next step

Tivaci had done a super job during his fledgling career at stud, with a Group 1 winner – Never Been Kissed (NZ) – already on his CV.

He's been given the opportunity to keep that momentum going at stud, covering many of Waikato Stud's high-quality Savabeel mares; replicating the cross that produced his Group 1 winning 3-year-old filly.

Maintaining strong nicks across generations of sires has developed Waikato Stud families for years; from Centaine to Pins, O'Reilly and Savabeel, and now Tivaci has the chance to continue that trend.

“Tivaci never fails to put size and strength into them,” Chittick explained.

Acting (NZ) (Savabeel) was bred and raced by Waikato Stud. She was a Group 2 winner in Melbourne as a 3-year-old and is a granddaughter of the Waikato Stud-bred two-time Group 1 winner Glamour Puss (NZ) (Tale Of The Cat {USA}).

She is in foal to Ocean Park, having already produced a filly by Super Seth, and will be covered by Tivaci.

“She’s from a lovely family,” Chittick said. “He’ll put a bit of size into her and it’s the cross of Tivaci over a Savabeel mare, which produced Never Been Kissed.”

Cornflower Blue (NZ) (Savabeel) is a Group 3 winner and her second dam, Golden Sparkle (NZ) (Gold Brose), is a sister to Parfore (NZ), the dam of Group winners Terravista (Captain Rio {GB}), Ball Of Muscle (Dubawi {Ire}), Tiger Tees (NZ) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Our Lukas (NZ) (Generous {Ire}).

She is currently in foal to Tivaci and will be served by him again.

“She’s one of my favourites, this mare,” said Chittick.

“She was a Group winner and she’s from that lovely family.

“That cross has produced a couple of good horses already. Once again, we’ll just get a bit of grunt into her, we’ll give her that opportunity.”

Like Cornflower Blue, Movie (NZ) (Savabeel) - dam of Never Been Kissed - was covered last season by Tivaci and will also be going back to him.

“She’s got a lovely Ocean Park filly on the ground, but it’s pretty obvious why we send her back to Tivaci,” Chittick add.

Ocean Park a proven performer

Make A Wish (NZ) (Pins) was a two-time winner, who produced Group 3 winner and Group 1 placegetter Another Dollar (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}).

She was covered by Super Seth last season and will return to Ocean Park.

“One of our favourite mares, she’s a beauty,” said Chittick.

“She goes back to Ocean Park, it seems to have worked well with that family… Another Dollar ran second in the Queensland Oaks. We’ve a cracking yearling colt by Ocean Park out of Make A Wish.”

Pretty (NZ) (Pins) is a daughter of brilliant broodmare Escada (NZ) (Centaine), who has thrown no less than four stakes winners – Escadaire (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), Glamour Puss (NZ) (Tale Of The Cat {NZ}), Rare Insight (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) and Vision And Power (NZ) (Carnegie {Ire}).

Now 16, Pretty has produced two stakes winners – Bonny O’Reilly (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) and Pretty To Sea (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}).

Gallery: Pretty's two stakes winners

Pretty has been covered by Ocean Park the past three seasons and that will soon become four.

“The cross has worked well before. She leaves a good type, he’ll give her a good type,” Chittick explained.

Star quality

Boulevard (NZ) (Savabeel) has a lovely pedigree. An older sister to Acting, her second dam is Glamour Puss and her third is Escada. Having been covered by Tivaci last season, she is due a date with Super Seth.

“Her pedigree speaks for itself and she’s just a lovely mare,” said Chittick.

“She’s had a couple of foals so far and they’ve been bloody good types.

“We’re going to go back to Super Seth; she had a lovely colt by him in 2021.”

Fabulist (NZ) (Savabeel) was a handy galloper, winning five races in Australia (including three on the bounce) and just shy of $130,000 in earnings. She has made a name for herself as the dam of multiple Group 1 placegetter Icebath (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}).

“She started from humble beginnings and has done a wonderful job, she’s been a bloody good producer,” he said.

“We just haven’t finalised her yet, she will either go to Super Seth or Ardrossan.

“We have a lot of faith in Ardrossan, he’s leaving really, really good types.

“If you put a good mare like that to a younger horse… if you get a colt and he kicks off, you get plenty of money for it, or if you get a filly, you’re happy to keep it.”

Table: Some of the matings Waikato Stud is planning for the 2022 season