Savabeel Again Sets the Standard as a Sire

31 Jul 18

It might seem like business as usual but closer examination of champion stallion Savabeel's achievements from the past 12 months reveals just how good his season has been.

Savabeel

Such is Savabeel's record, expectation is that he continues to churn out high quality racecourse performers with monotonous regularity.

And while that's again been the case for the 2017-18 season, the Waikato Stud sire has continued to forge through old barriers and set a new benchmark of siring success.

At the upcoming New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Awards, Waikato Stud's Mark Chittick will accept the Grosvenor Award, Dewar Stallion Trophy and Centaine Award, a Savabeel clean sweep of all three New Zealand stallion awards for an unprecedented third straight season.

Savabeel a son of Zabeel, was represented by Six Group One winners - Kawi (Captain Cook Stakes), Shillelagh (Cantala Stakes), Embellish (2000 Guineas), Hasahalo (1000 Guineas), Sword Of Osman (Sistema Stakes) and Savvy Coup (New Zealand Oaks), the latter five all first-time Group One winners and taking his career tally of Group One winners to 17.

With his 16 stakes winners this season, Savabeel has continued his career ratio of one in 10 stakes winners to runners and he sired his first million dollar yearling, the Cambridge Stud's colt out of Katie Lee, which was knocked down for $1,025,000 at Karaka in January.

Meanwhile, his Group One daughter Diademe fetched $1.7 million at this year's Magic Millions Broodmare Sale.

"It's been another cracking season. His success, earned in so many countries, at the highest level was huge," Chittick said.

"The obvious highlight, was breeding the 1000 and 2000 Guineas double and we got a lot of satisfaction from Savvy Coup winning the New Zealand Oaks. They were all out of young mares too.

"That's the fortunate position we are in with Savabeel. He is always giving mares a great opportunity and continually upgrading families.

"The unwritten rule is anything above five per cent of stakes winners to runners and you have a successful stallion. I think he's one of only three in Australasia at 10 per cent or higher, which is freakish."

In the Grosvenor Award Savabeel's progeny earned $3,396,125 in New Zealand, nearly $1.5 million clear of nearest rival Iffraaj.

In the Dewar Trophy standings, Savabeel finished with $8,422,028, more than $4.8 million clear of Darci Brahma.

Whilst in the Centaine Award his earnings were $13,454,236, more than $2 million clear of Darci Brahma.

Another facet Chittick has been especially buoyed by is the upsurge of success from Savabeel's two-year-olds.

Sword Of Osman became Savabeel's second Group One-winning juvenile after Pasadena Girl's Champagne Stakes (1600m) in Sydney in 2015 and Peaceful's Listed Auckland Futurity (1400m) win in May took his tally of two-year-old stakes winners to 11 from the sire's overall total of 75.

"His record with two-year-old stakes winners has been a good selling point of ours and to get a top quality horse like Sword Of Osman winning at two this season just underscores that," Chittick said.

"It just shows his versatility and I think that's the Success Express (Savabeel's damsire) coming through."

Despite now being 17, Savabeel remains in excellent health ahead of the upcoming 2018 breeding season for which Waikato Stud have preferred not to make his service fee public.

"We've restricted his book to outsiders. Syndicate members' mares make up 100 of his book so we've only taken about 20 or 30 outside mares this season and that's a decision we've made, to look after him as he gets older and add longevity to his stud career," Chittick said.

"He was a $10 million purchase and I'd say 70 per cent of the original syndicate are still in him and have been wonderful supporters of his. He's getting older and we're very conscious of looking after those members and the stallion himself. This type of horse doesn't come along every day.”

Savabeel is a sensation and statistics reveal he crosses best with mares by two particular sires – O’REILLY and PINS.

Savapinski

Savapinski our Group 2 Matriarch Stakes Winner at Flemington this season is a daughter of PINS.

Having such an intricate knowledge of Savabeel, Dynamic Syndications this year purchased three fabulous yearlings by the sire – two from Pins mares (ex On Broadway and ex Frankly) and the other from an O’Reilly mare (ex Tiara).

Savabeel x Frankly filly

Our SAVABEEL x FRANKLY filly is absolutely gorgeous and comes from one of the strongest families in the Stud Book. Importantly for this filly not only is she a daughter of a PINS mare, she is also a grand-daughter of O’REALLY (2nd Dam) who is the Half Sister to O’REILLY.