Cover image courtesy of Race Images South
The Oaks Stud announced the retirement of G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas winner Savaglee (NZ) (Savabeel). It seemed obvious that they would stand him themselves, given that The Oaks Stud is well known for standing stallions with three stallions currently on their roster, while retired successful stallion Darci Brahma (NZ) also remains in residence.
But The Oaks Stud manager Rick Williams added a twist to the retirement announcement: Savaglee will be sold to another farm. It comes at a time of transition for The Oaks Stud, owned by Dick Karreman, who bought the 500-acre Cambridge, New Zealand property in 2002.
“It’s well known that the farm has been on the market for the last twelve months and it’s getting close to fruition. The land is owned by a super fund which is winding up to settle a family situation Dick has,” said The Oaks Stud’s manager Rick Williams.
“It’s well known that the farm has been on the market for the last twelve months and it’s getting close to fruition.” - Rick Williams
“The other reason (for the sale) is that he’s 78 and is thinking that he just wants to race horses without all this anymore. The farm has obviously been very good to him. We did a subdivision of 20 hectares, and he made millions of dollars out of it.
The Oaks Stud | Image courtesy of The Oaks Stud
“And I’m not so convinced that I want to come to the stud every day and run it on a day by day basis.” Rick Williams has been general manager at The Oaks Stud since Karreman purchased the property, running the broodmare band of approximately 50 mares.
Many of the young stock are raced by Karreman with some sold as yearlings each year. The farm has been very successful with at least ten Group 1 winners produced off the property in the last two decades, and countless stakes winners.
Launching a stallion is a commitment
With the farm on the market and both Karreman and Williams contemplating retirement, to launch the new career for Savaglee is beyond what The Oaks Stud can commit to in the current circumstances.
“We are moving on, and to launch a new stallion is a commitment for at least three years and preferably five. We’ve decided to put Savaglee on the market and sell him. We will keep a percentage of him, because we'll probably keep a few mares, but other than that, it's all positive,” said Williams.
Rick Williams and Dick Karreman | Image courtesy of Trish Dunell
“At this stage, I can’t say who we are talking to. I only put it out there the last 24 hours. I haven't had a call from an Australian stud yet, and I'll take any phone calls, but I want to have the deal done by the end of the week.
“The people that want to do these deals, they come straight out. They’ve done their sums, they know what they want to stand him for, and they offer a price.
“At this stage, I can’t say who we are talking to. I only put it out there the last 24 hours. I want to have the deal done by the end of the week.” - Rick Williams
“It’s not easy to buy a Group 1 winning colt. There's not many of them, and usually, the Australian studs move very quickly on taking majority shares (in stallion prospects) during their racing career, so by the time they retired, there's no movement left for anyone. We own him 100% so the only person we negotiate with is the buyer.”
Savaglee ticks all the boxes
It’s an oft-repeated phrase in racing that a horse ticks all the boxes – pedigree, performance, physical type. The Oaks Stud purchased him for NZ$400,000 from Waikato Stud’s 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale draft, and with his seven wins from 17 starts, he’s earned over NZ$1.1 million. He's a Group 1 winner by a Champion Sire with a Champion broodmare sire and has a strong pedigree.
“We bought him as a stallion prospect. Perhaps if he won the Australian Guineas instead of getting beaten... he might have been sold then, but he didn't.” - Rick Williams
“We bought him as a stallion prospect. Perhaps if he won the Australian Guineas instead of getting beaten by half a length, he might have been sold then, but he didn't. He’s a lovely horse with a phenomenal pedigree and I'm looking forward to seeing which farm he ends up at,” said Williams.
Savabeel, a G1 Cox Plate winner as a 3-year-old and a son of Champion Sire Zabeel (NZ), has been outstanding at stud. He’s a ten-time New Zealand Champion Sire with 35 Group 1 winners and 157 individual stakes winners. Savabeel was inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame in May 2025.
Savaglee (NZ) as a yearling | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
“In my view, he’s a very typical Savabeel. They’ve not huge walkers, they are just great racehorses. He was a good mover. He was still a bit babyish at the yearling sales, and that probably explains his improvement from two to three, but that's what Savabeel's do. I have no doubt this would have been his best year, but this little joint issue has held him up. He's grown half an inch between his three and 4-year-old year, he looks stronger.”
“In my view, he’s (Savagelee) a very typical Savabeel. They’ve not huge walkers, they are just great racehorses.” - Rick Williams
Savaglee won on debut as an October 2-year-old, adding the G3 Matamata Slipper Stakes in the autumn to a juvenile season with seven starts. He was fourth in the G1 Sistema Stakes.
At three he resumed with a win over 1100 metres, was second in a Listed race, then won four in succession, all in group company. They were the G2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas, G2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes, G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas and the G2 Levin Classic. He was then third in the G1 Waikato Sprint against the older horses, before travelling to Australia for a run in the G1 Australian Guineas where he finished second.
Savaglee (NZ) | Image courtesy of Peter Rubery (Race Images)
“The injury happened after the Australian Guineas, unfortunately. I thought it was a bone chip, but it wasn't. Our vet was saying he’s the soundest horse he’d ever dealt with, so you know that something’s going to go wrong after that.”
Savaglee was retired due to some fusion in a fetlock joint. He had two more starts at four but the injury impacted on his ability to finish off in each race.
“The injury happened after the Australian Guineas, unfortunately. I thought it was a bone chip, but it wasn't.” - Rick Williams
The G1 Australian Guineas was a quinella for Savaglee’s damsire O’Reilly (NZ) whose daughter Corinthia produced the winner Feroce (NZ) (Super Seth).
Temperament is a key factor
It’s not just about pedigree, performance on the track, and being an athletic type with good conformation. Having a temperament to cope with being in training, travelling, and racing under pressure is often the difference between a very good horse and a Group 1 winner.
“A horse’s head and eye are always the first thing I look at. (As a yearling) he had this wonderful head and eye and expression and he’s without a doubt, the most intelligent horse we've ever dealt with,” said Williams.
“To go from being a racehorse and now be a competitive dressage horse takes brains.” - Rick Williams
“Catalyst was extremely intelligent, and he's turned to doing dressage, and three-day eventing, and he's going well at that. To go from being a racehorse and now be a competitive dressage horse takes brains.” The Oaks Stud raced Group 1 winning gelding Catalyst (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) who won six races in succession including the G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas.
But back to the sale, and the farm’s philosophy. Savaglee is an unusual horse for The Oaks Stud who don’t buy many colts because it’s a high risk game. They’ve been successful over the years in developing a broodmare band and racing most of their fillies.
Catalyst (NZ) | Image courtesy of Trish Dunell
“Savaglee has done his job, more than done his job, because, let's face it, the stallion syndicates that go out and buy several yearlings every year, most of them get gelded, and the rest are virtually no good except a small percentage,” said Williams.
“It’s a hazardous occupation, buying colts. And I wouldn’t have bought a colt until Dick rang me from Queensland and said he wanted one. It wasn't my preferred option.
“We bought a share in Darcy Brahma, and we've kept a couple of shares in some nice colts that we sold, but they didn't work out. It hasn’t been a practice of ours to buy colts. We got lucky. That's all there is to it. There's no point at me trying to say I’m any better as a judge than all the others that go out there and say they're great judges.
“But there's a lot of things in his favour, he was out of an O'Reilly mare and a great family that had already produced a heap of Savabeel Group 1 winners. And the family’s gone on since.”
The late O'reilly (NZ) | Image courtesy of Waikato Stud
Savaglee’s dam Glee (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) had only one start before heading to the paddocks at Waikato Stud. She’s a full sister to Group 3-placed winner Symphonic (NZ), who is the dam of dual Group 1 winner and NZ$2.6 million earner Orchestral (NZ) (Savabeel). This is also the family of Group 1 winners Sepals (Calyx {GB}), Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel), Daffodil (NZ) (No Excuse Needed {GB}), and Good Faith (NZ) (Straight Strike {USA}).
“It’s not rocket science. You just try to put the odds in your favour. And then you need some luck. A tonne of luck with an ounce of judgement.” - Rick Williams
“It’s not rocket science. You just try to put the odds in your favour. And then you need some luck. A tonne of luck with an ounce of judgement.
“He'll be a delight for stud buys him. If he leaves horses with his type and attitude, he's going to be a successful sire, but we all say that when they go to stud. It's a low percentage winning game, so the best thing you can do for yourself is put as many things in your own favour, and he does that.”
Savabeel as a sire of sires
It’s early days for Savabeel as a sire of sires with fellow G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas winner Embellish (NZ) standing at Cambridge Stud and Group 1 winning juvenile Cool Aza Beel (NZ) standing at Newhaven Park Stud in NSW. Embellish’s oldest foals are 5-year-olds and he has six stakes winners and his most recent stakes winner, Listed Tasmanian Oaks winner Kazaru (NZ) is being set for the G1 South Australian Oaks.
Savabeel | Standing at Waikato Stud
Second season sire Cool Aza Beel had a phenomenal start to his career, siring G1 JJ Atkins Plate winner Cool Archie in his first crop along with G3 Barneswood Farm Stakes winner Cool Aza Rene. Notably, Newhaven Park Stud also stand Mo’unga (NZ), a Group 1 winner bred on the same Savabeel / O’Reilly cross as Savaglee.
Additionally, Waikato Stud’s G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas winner Noverre (NZ) has his first 2-year-olds in 2025/26, so there is plenty more to come for sons of Savabeel.
Cool Aza Beel | Standing at Newhaven Park
“Cool Aza Beel is doing a hell of a good job statistically, and Savabeel has exceeded his own sire and grandsire now. He's just been a phenomenon. So let’s hope that whoever buys him gets one of those great sire sons.
“Cool Aza Beel is doing a hell of a good job statistically, and Savabeel has exceeded his own sire and grandsire now.”- Rick Williams
“I’m a proud Kiwi. I hope he stays in New Zealand and does a great job for someone.”
