Matings Mix: Waikato's Skew Wiff set for date with Ardrossan

The Chittick family’s Waikato Stud has long cultivated both a strong broodmare band and a robust, varied roster of stallions to support one another. Their roster looks slightly different in 2026, chiefly due to the passing of the late, great Savabeel and the export of Super Seth to Australian interests, but also with the addition of unbeaten juvenile Return To Conquer.

With this different shape to their stallion lineup, the Waikato team have been busy at the sales, reinforcing the mare talent they already have with a few notable editions to support the band. General Manager Mike Rennie has picked out a handful of mares on track for exciting matings this spring, both at home and abroad.

Super support continues across Tasman

Group 1-producing young stallion Super Seth might have left Waikato’s physical roster after being purchased by Coolmore Stud earlier this year, but the farm will still support him with quality mares in his new home in Jerry’s Plains. The Waikato team were active at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale this year to purchase young mares to send to the stallion.

“We specifically bought Heavenly Conquest and Klum at the Gold Coast mare sale to go to Super Seth,” Rennie said. “Both represent strong and current families on the racetrack and sale ring, and importantly they nick well with Super Seth and fit into our acquisition protocol for adding to our residual broodmare population.”

I Am Invincible mare Heavenly Conquest was a $525,000 purchase from Yarraman Park Stud at the Gold Coast. A winner at Eagle Farm, the 4-year-old is a daughter of Taste Of Heaven (Encosta De Lago), making her a half-sister to Graded winner Heavenly Curlin (USA) (Curlin {USA}).

Taste Of Heaven is a winning daughter of the prolific blue hen Shantha’s Choice (Canny Lad), dam of Redoute’s Choice and Manhattan Rain amongst five stakes winners, and direct ancestress to the likes of Schwarz and G1 Myer Classic winner Shoals (Fastnet Rock).

Klum (Snitzel) was a $100,000 purchase from Newington Farm Premium Consignment, who offered her in foal to Aquis Farm’s Officiating (USA).

Klum received a timely update to her pedigree in the autumn courtesy of her full brother, G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes and G2 Skyline Stakes winner Campione D'Italia (Snitzel). Through her multiple Group-winning second dam Military Rose (General Nediym), she is related to Lovatsville’s dual juvenile Group 3-winning first season Espionage.

“Sweetpea, a sister to Bonny O’Reilly and Pretty To Sea, will also visit Super Seth as will the full sister to Noverre in Savvy Magic,” Rennie added. Having visited Super Seth in both of her first season at stud, Sweetpea (NZ) (Savabeel) will go for the hattrick in 2026.

Listed-winning Group performer Bonny O'Reilly (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) was a $1.2 million broodmare sale in 2019, and produced two seven-figure yearlings with her first two through the ring, including $1.9 million Group performer Basquiat (Snitzel). Her last foal, the now 3-year-old Ciaron’s Star (I Am Invincible), won the $160,000 Pierro Plate last season and was placed in the G2 Percy Sykes Stakes.

Also a Listed winner and Group-performed, Pretty To Sea (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) touched down on Australian soil last month, in foal to the late Savabeel.

Another sister to the trio, Dahooil (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) is the dam of G1 Coolmore Classic victress Espiona (Extreme Choice). They share second dam Escada (NZ) (Centaine) with dual Group 1 winner Vision And Power (Carnegie {Ire}), Coolmore Classic winner Steps In Time (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), and last season’s G3 Kembla Grange Classic winner Feminino (NZ) (Tivaci).

Following a pattern

Savvy Magic’s (NZ) (Savabeel) Group 1-winning full brother Noverre (NZ) welcomes his first 3-year-olds this season; the G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas winner has so far produced juvenile Listed performer Bella Bonita (NZ) and three winners from his first crop. Waikato have booked a mare back to him that has already produced a quality yearling by him in the hopes of repeating the result.

“Thy, the dam of Group 3 winner Kilman, will visit Noverre again,” Rennie said. “We have huge faith in him. The feedback from some of Australasia’s top trainers has been so encouraging. He throws as good a type as you could ever hope for, and now they are 3-year-olds, they will show what they’re made of.”

On top of his 2000 Guineas win, Noverre picked up the G3 War Decree Stakes as a 3-year-old and it has always been expected that his offspring would rise to the challenge in their second season of racing.

“Peter Moody bought the Noverre ex Thy yearling colt this year and he was an exceptional type,” Rennie said.

Winner of the Listed Aspiration Handicap and Listed Regal Roller Stakes, Thy (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}) also ran third in the G1 Australian Oaks and fourth in the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes for Peter Moody, who paid NZ$200,000 for her son at this year’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale. Thy comes from a strong black-type family highlighted by her G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas-winning half-sister La Bella Diosa (NZ) (So You Think {NZ}).

Another mare bound for a matchup that has already borne fruit is Early Morning Rise (NZ) (Fastnet Rock). A winning half-sister to Listed winner and Group performer Rise At Dawn (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) out of Group 1 performer Kay’s Awake (NZ) (Towkay), Early Morning Rise hit it out of the park last season with her Ocean Park (NZ) daughter and it makes sense to repeat the cross.

“Early Morning Rise will visit Ocean Park again, she was a yearling purchase by Mark (Chittick) years back,” Rennie said. “She is the dam of G2 Eight Carat Classic winner Tellum by Ocean Park, so it’s a no-brainer to send her back to him. We know the wider nick works strongly as well.”

Ocean Park over Fastnet Rock mares runs at 57.1% winners to runners, and the wider nick of Ocean Park over mares with Danehill (USA) blood hits even better at 59.8%, and 6.3% stakes horses to runners including four Group 1 winners.

Genuine juvenile form

For Waikato Stud’s newest recruit, the unbeaten G1 Sistema Stakes-winning 2-year-old Return To Conquer, setting the young stallion up right has required a little more work to find the patterns. The son of Snitzel is set to follow in the footsteps of other Snitzel sons, like Sword Of State, who have struck gold when entering stud in New Zealand - he just requires the right kind of mare.

With this in mind, they paid $65,000 at the Gold Coast for winning Capitalist mare Capital Beauty, a half-sister to G3 Vo Rogue Plate winner Benny’s Buttons (Refuse To Bend {Ire}) and R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic victress Real Surreal (Real Saga).

“We bought Capital Beauty specifically for Return to Conquer,” said Rennie. “We wanted to find a strong nick for him from a family that represented genuine Australian 2-year-old form, and that was something that we don’t have a lot of in our current broodmare band.”

A multiple stakes performer as a 3-year-old and older, Benny’s Buttons did score at two, while Real Surreal won three out of four juvenile starts and added the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic as an older horse.

The close family also features Bribery (Spirit of Boom), a winner and multiple feature race performer as a 2-year-old, and G2 Todman Slipper Trial winner Great Crusader (Our Maizcay), plus a handful of other horses with proven early speed.

Capitalist is early in his broodmare sire career, but his sire Written Tycoon has been quietly establishing himself as a good broodmare sire for said early speed. Last season, the latter appeared above the dams of dual juvenile stakes winner Verzain (Zousain) and Listed Blue Diamond Preview (colts & geldings) winner Alibaba (Alabama Express). His daughters have produced stakes winners with the likes of Snitzel, Stratosphere, Ardrossan, and The Autumn Sun so far.

The sire with the statistics

Speaking of Redoute’s Choice-line stallions, Waikato will once again get behind Ardrossan as his eldest crop of foals turns six.

“The Group 1-performed Bargain will go to the sire with the stats in Ardrossan,” Rennie said. “He has some exceptional books coming through now, and really is a sire on the up and one to watch.”

From just 117 offspring to the track, Ardrossan’s 64 winners include nine stakes winners and a further nine stakes performers. His best performers to date have been G2 Auckland Guineas winner Yaldi (NZ) and triple Group 3 winner Ardalio (NZ), while he produced four juvenile stakes performers last season headed by Listed Counties Challenge Stakes winner De Armas (NZ).

Bargain (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}) was left dry in 2025 so she will visit the stallion early this spring. The 9-year-old was third in the G1 Australian Oaks amongst several Group performances, and is closely related to Sacred Falls (NZ) and last spring’s Listed Maribyrnong Trial winner Eurocanto (Per Incanto {USA}).

“It’s a great nick,” Rennie said. “We know Redoute's works well over Thorn Park and the presence of O’Reilly only strengthens it, as does the presence of Snippets.

“Trevi Dreams, sister to I Wish I Win, will visit Ardrossan again as well. Her yearling filly by him is exceptional.”

The last major name Rennie picks out for Ardrossan is G1 Tarzino Trophy victress Skew Wiff (NZ) (Savabeel), who delivered her first foal, a filly by Super Seth, this spring. One of the jewels in Waikato’s broodmare band, she will stay home this year to show Waikato’s faith in Ardrossan.

“Skew Wiff is also on the list to visit Ardrossan this year,” Rennie said. “The Redoute’s line has performed well over Savabeel mares. He has also combined strongly with Starcraft and Charge Forward.”

Table: 2026 mating plans for some of the Waikato Stud broodmare band