Cool Aza Beel: Laid-back and stamping his stock with Cool Archie

Cover image courtesy of Trackside Photography

Bred by Newhaven Park Stud who stand Group 1 winner Cool Aza Beel (NZ), a son of Champion NZ Sire Savabeel, Cool Archie became his sire’s first stakes winner when winning the Listed Dalrello Stakes at the start of May and followed it up with a strong win in Saturday’s G2 Spirit Of Boom Stakes.

Trained by father and son partnership Chris and Corey Munce, he’ll head to the G2 BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes, then the G1 JJ Atkins Plate.

“It's on to the Sires' next and then the JJ Atkins. I'll have to have a chat with Martin (Harley) to see if we take the blinkers off,” said Chris Munce after the win yesterday.

“He's a really nice colt, you wouldn't think he's a colt because he's so laid-back and casual. He's got a heart as big as he is, which is all you can ask for.”

A bay dominant sireline

Newhaven Park Stud bred and sold Cool Archie for $100,000 at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale to Mick Malone Bloodstock, and he races in the ownership of Max Whitby’s Whitby Bloodstock who also had racing shares in Cool Archie’s grandsire Savabeel.

Cool Archie is the fifth winner for Aware (Tale Of The Cat {USA}) who won three times at 1200 metres and was fourth in the Listed Oakbank Stakes. Cool Archie is her first stakes horse, and she went back to Cool Aza Beel to produce the yearling filly named Sentient, and a colt foal. She is a daughter of G2 Magic Night Stakes winner Media (Gilded Time {USA}) who was four-times Group 1 placed including in the G1 Golden Slipper.

“He was a nice yearling. He’s a very typical Cool Aza Beel who really stamps his stock. They all come out the same, all one colour as he’s bay dominant and they are basically all the same.

“You don’t get small ones or very big ones, just nice medium sized horses with good temperaments,” said Newhaven Park’s John Kelly.

“I think that’s why they are showing precocity, as they are reasonably set looking horses. Chris (Munce) said what a lovely nature Cool Archie has and that’s typical too. All the trainers who have them have commented on how good they are to handle.”

When asked if Cool Aza Beel was also like that, Kelly was understated. “He’s a normal stallion to handle, a good horse.” But expanding on the comment of stamping his stock, Kelly pointed to Cool Aza Beel’s damline.

“It’s not really a Savabeel trait (to stamp them). We’ve got two here, Cool Aza Beel and Mo’unga and they are two completely different looking horses. Cool Aza Beel is a very solid sprinting looking type and Mo’unga is a bigger horse with more scope and not as thickset as Cool Aza Beel.

“Cool Aza Beel has a lot of fast stallions in his dam line, he’s out of a Testa Rossa mare out of a Red Ransom mare out of a Bletchingly mare, and he has all the good attributes of Savabeel too.”

Cool Aza Beel won on debut as a September 2-year-old in New Zealand and ended his juvenile season with a win in the G1 Diamond Stakes (currently named the G1 Sistema Stakes). His dam, Cool ‘n’ Sassy (Testa Rossa) first won as an early 3-year-old and added a couple more wins after that. Savabeel, a son of Champion Sire Zabeel (NZ) and dual Group 1 winner Savannah Success (Success Express {USA}), won on debut as a February juvenile, going on to place in the G1 Champagne Stakes before returning at three to win the G1 Spring Champion Stakes and G1 Cox Plate.

“Cool Aza Beel has stayed at the same fee for his first four seasons, and the people who have got weanlings by him and mares in foal to him will be quite pleased with his success so far. It’s not just Cool Archie, he has four winners and Cobra Club was beaten a whisker from the outside barrier in the Inglis Nursery.” Cool Aza Beel stood for $16,500 including GST for each of his first four seasons at stud.

His first winner was Cool Aza Rene who won on debut in New Zealand back in October and has since added another win since. Both Gable and Don’t Tellyafather won recently to make it four winners so far for Cool Aza Beel.

Newhaven Park’s stallion roster

In 2024, Newhaven Park Stud stood three stallions, Cool Aza Beel, proven sire Xtravagant (NZ) and they introduced dual Group 1 winner Mo’unga (NZ).

“We’ll release our fees later this week,” said Kelly.

“Breeders are finding it difficult at the moment especially at the middle and lower end of the market, but when a horse like Cool Aza Beel is going well, it gives everyone hope.”

“His (Mo'unga's) first foals are due this spring and he got a great book of mares. He got great support from his shareholders, and we sent him Media, the dam of Aware who is Cool Archie’s dam, and Group 1 winner English. He also covered Frolic.” Frolic (Husson {Arg}) is a young Group 2 winner.

Mo’unga covered 88 mares in 2024 at a fee of $27,500 including GST. Xtravagant stood for $16,500 including GST in 2024 but covered his smallest book to date.

“He’s battling to find his place in the market, but is doing a good job this year with Nadal and has an impressive 3-year-old filly in New Zealand who won yesterday at Ellerslie,” said Kelly.

Celestial Wonder took her record to two wins and three seconds from six starts with the win on Saturday, and was previously placed in the Listed O’Leary Fillies Stakes during the spring. Nadal won The Meteorite during the spring to take his earnings over $670,000.

“We had a great year with his yearlings going into good stables. Ciaron Maher, Annabel Neasham, and Clinton McDonald all bought some.” Xtravagant has five stakes winners led by Group 2 winner Lavish Girl.

Newhaven’s Magic Millions draft

Newhaven Park Stud sold unbeaten Group 2 winner Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) as a weanling for $600,000 at the Magic Millions Weanling Sale, and they are headed back to the Gold Coast with a draft of six weanlings, as well as a strong draft of 25 yearlings for the Magic Millions June Yearling Sale including nine by Cool Aza Beel.

“We held back some yearlings for the June yearling sale with the hope this might happen. It’s difficult for a stallion to get up and going leading into the January and February sales period, but if you can wait to June, there is more time for a few 2-year-olds to show something. Being by Savabeel, we thought it might take Cool Aza Beel a bit more time to show his potential.”

Of the nine Cool Aza Beel yearlings, Kelly picked his three favourites. “The colt from Fashion, and the two fillies from Stregheria and My Choisir are all lovely types. We are keen to show them to the market and purposely held them for this sale.”

Fashion, a stakes placed daughter of Encosta De Lago, has produced four winners and her colt is Lot 1104. Fashion is out of G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner True Jewels (Brief Truce {USA}), making her a half-sister to Listed winner Villain (Carnegie {Ire}).

Lot 1222 has plenty of residual value being a half-sister to Group 2 winner Beau Rossa (Unencumbered) out of juvenile winner My Choisir (Choisir) who is a daughter of dual Listed winning mare Prancelot (Jeune {GB}).

Unraced mare Stregheria (Flying Pegasus) is the dam of Lot 1326, and she’s been a good young broodmare with two winners from her two foals to race, Xtra Gear and Xtramagic, both by Xtravagant. Stregheria is a half-sister to Hong Kong stakes winner and earner of over $1.4 million Captain Sweet (Fastnet Rock).

“We’ve been going to (Magic Millions June) for a long time, and we always happy with the results we’ve achieved there. If the horses have good x-rays and scopes and are targeted for that sale, good results are possible.

“It’s encouraging to have Cool Archie doing what he’s doing. We had The Playwright who flew the flag for us earlier in the year, and she’s one of the better 2-year-old fillies in the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable this year. The horses off the farm are racing well, and we are looking forward to getting up to the Gold Coast.”