Waikato Stud to Defend Leading Vendor Title at Karaka 2015

Waikato Stud returns to New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2015 National Yearling Sale Series in a bid to defend its ‘Leading Vendor’ title earned at Karaka 2014.

Gary & Mark Chittick

At Karaka 2014 the Chittick’s family Stud earned its new title after committing the stud’s entire draft of yearlings to the Karaka Sales, which rewarded the Stud handsomely with the highest aggregate of all vendors at $8,873,000 across the Sale Series. They sold 65 yearlings throughout the Sales with an average price of $136,508.

The Matamata breeding powerhouse marked its presence at the star-studded Premier Sale last year where they sold 46 yearlings for a total of $7,655,000.

Waikato Stud also broke its own record last year by notching up its highest-ever priced yearling. The Savabeel colt out of an O’Reilly mare purchased for $500,000 by David Ellis of Te Akau Racing was one of three yearlings from Waikato Stud’s draft to be in the top 10 purchases of the Premier Sale.

Karaka 2015 is looking to be another strong Sale for the Waikato Stud team with a draft of 58 yearlings in the Premier Sale and 25 yearlings in the Select Sale.

Waikato Stud’s Premier Sale highlights include:

• Lot 16 – a half-sister by Savabeel to stakes winner Precedence (Zabeel), twice winner of the Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup and multiple stakes placed.
• Lot 52 – a filly by Pins out of Masquerade (No Excuse Needed), winner of the Listed Soliloquy Stakes and a half-sister to Costume (Savabeel), one of Waikato’s graduates and a dual Group 1 winner.
• Lot 117 – a full-sister to Group 2 Wellington Guineas winner President Lincoln (O’Reilly).
• Lot 124 – a full-brother to Group 1 Queensland Derby winner Brambles (Savabeel), and Lopov (Savabeel) winner of the Listed Kalgoorlie Cup.
• Lot 272 – an O’Reilly colt out of Barbara Ann (Elusive City) who is a half-sister to Maco’reilly (O’Reilly) winner of the Group 1 New Zealand Stakes.
• Lot 340 – a Fastnet Rock colt out of Dance On By (Sadler’s Wells) who is a full-sister to Champion Sire High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells).
• Lot 427 – a full-brother to Sacred Falls (O’Reilly), a four time Group 1 winner.

Waikato Stud is the home of star sires Savabeel, Pins and O’Reilly and they continue to reap success each year at the Karaka Sales for the family-owned Stud as their graduates perform on the track.

Waikato-bred champion racehorse Sacred Falls (NZ) (O’Reilly) won the Group 1 Doncaster Handicap for the second consecutive year last season. The current 2014-15 season has seen Sacred Falls claim his fourth Group 1 glory in the Group 1 George Main Stakes. By Champion Sire O’Reilly, Sacred Falls was purchased by Mulcaster Bloodstock for $160,000 at the Premier Sale.

O’Reilly is one of New Zealand’s leading stallions and is currently top of the Broodmare Sire list in New Zealand. He has produced 77 stakes winners including 16 Group 1 winners; some of his successful progeny include Silent Achiever (NZ) (O’Reilly) and Singapore star War Affair (NZ) (O’Reilly).

The Champion Sire’s last yearlings will pass through the sale ring in 2017 but his legacy will continue through his broodmare daughters with six yearlings having O’Reilly as their damsire in Waikato Stud’s Premier draft.

Savabeel is the leading sire in NZ at present, producing 33 stakes winners with 5 Group 1 winners. Amongst Savabeel’s leading progeny are Lucia Valentina (NZ),  Brambles (NZ) and Costume (NZ) (Savabeel). Bred by the Chittick family, Costume is a graduate of the Waikato Stud’s Premier draft. The five-year-old mare’s first Group 1 victory was last season in the Group 1 Herbie Dyke Stakes and continues to perform this season winning the Group 1 Livamol Classic.

Pins has stamped his name as a Champion International Sire with successful racehorses Ambitious Dragon (NZ) (Pins), Aerovelocity (NZ) (Pins) and A Touch Of Ruby (NZ) (Pins).

Ambitious Dragon and Aerovelocity have both been successful in Hong Kong with Ambitious Dragon winning the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile and most recently Aerovelocity taking victory in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint.

Waikato Stud’s also stands No Excuse Needed, Rios, Rock’n’Pop and Ocean Park.