Written by Lydia Symonds
Cover image courtesy of Newhaven Park Stud
Every year in December, buyers and breeders make the pilgrimage to the various farms in the Hunter Valley to conduct on-farm inspections before the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale gets underway in the new year.
Following a few years off due to the COVID pandemic, Te Akau supremo David Ellis was back in New South Wales scouting out his next track star.
Since the global lockdown gripped the world, there have been some changes in the world of bloodstock, including new stallions, new faces and a whole host of yearlings to whet their appetite ahead of the various sales over the next five months or so.
David Ellis | Image courtesy of NZ Racing Desk
For some buyers and breeders, the on-farm inspections are not only a good time to familiarise themselves with the yearlings they will be given a chance to buy during the sale season, but also a good time to inspect the stallions in their natural surroundings.
It was a new experience for Ellis this year who stopped into John Kelly’s Newhaven Park Stud and caught up with two familiar faces, who handed the Te Akau master and his clients a whole host of brilliant days on a racecourse.
Kelly’s Newhaven Park is home to a pair of former Te Akau-owned horses, Xtravagant (NZ), a powerful son of Pentire (GB) and Cool Aza Beel (NZ), who is the only son of New Zealand’s multiple Champion Sire Savabeel standing in Australia.
Xtravagant (NZ) | Standing at Newhaven Park Stud
A winner of six of his 12 starts, including the G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas and G1 Waikato Sprint, Xtravagant has just completed covering his sixth book of mares at Newhaven and made a good start to stud, having notched up four stakes winners, headed by G2 Angus Armanasco S. winner Lavish Girl.
Cool Aza Beel, meanwhile, was only beaten twice in his six-start career and his triumphs were spearheaded by victories in the G1 Diamond S. and R. Listed Karaka 2YO Million.
Retired to stud last year, Cool Aza Beel’s first foals have just hit the ground and Ellis, who was seeing the stallion for the first time since Kelly acquired him in 2021, told TDN AusNZ he was impressed with both how the stallion had let down and his first crop of foals.
Cool Aza Beel (NZ) | Standing at Newhaven Park Stud
“We stopped off at Newhaven first which is home to two former Te Akau-owned stallions in Xtravagant and Cool Aza Beel that John Kelly bought off us to stand at stud. We were incredibly impressed with Cool Aza Beel foals, who were probably the best line of foals I have seen for a very long time - they were outstanding,” said Ellis.
“It is the first time I have seen Cool Aza Beel since he left New Zealand because COVID had prevented me from travelling to Australia and I was just blown away by how well he has let down. He really is as nicer a looking stallion as you could ever see.”
Cool Aza Beel will only be able to lay claim to being the sole son of Savabeel in Australia for a short while longer with Kelly having also purchased fellow Group 1 winner Mo’unga (NZ), who will retire the farm at the conclusion of his racing career.
“It is great to see a son of the great Savabeel in Australia, there has been no stallion Te Akau have had success with than him and I think a third of his black-type winners have come through Te Akau.
“It is great to see a son (Cool Aza Beel) of the great Savabeel in Australia, there has been no stallion Te Akau have had success with than him and I think a third of his black-type winners have come through Te Akau.” - David Ellis
“It is so rewarding to see stallions like Cool Aza Beel and Xtravagant on such a beautifully well-run farm like Newhaven because I am a farmer myself and I know what a good farm is. I know how people produce their horses and they just don’t come better than Newhaven. I was just so proud of the job both Xtravagant and Cool Aza Beel are doing.”
Ellis said both he and his travel companion, Cambridge Stud’s former General Manager Marcus Corban, were impressed with the quality of the stock set to be offered on the Gold Coast in January, believing there will be something for everyone among the 1273 yearlings, which will go under the hammer across seven days, kicking off on Tuesday, January 10.
“I went over with Marcus Corban and we were both very impressed with the quality of the yearlings and had a look at some proven stallions and some new ones as well.
“I went over with Marcus Corban and we were both very impressed with the quality of the yearlings and had a look at some proven stallions and some new ones as well.” - David Ellis
“We were able to visit between nine and 10 different properties and stayed the night at Coolmore, Newgate, Newhaven and Yarraman Park and we were both made to feel so welcome.”
Ellis said it wasn’t only an enjoyable and interesting week, but also an indispensable experience ahead of a busy few months at the sales.
“It was a very interesting week. We love to see the progeny of the new stallions coming through and you just never get sick of seeing yearlings by Fastnet Rock, Snitzel and I Am Invincible and all the other proven sires, there will be horses for all budgets there for sure.”
