Mark Chittick plays down any talk of a sixth successive vendors' title at the 2019 National Yearling Sale, but that doesn't remove the air of certainty around Waikato Stud's continuing top dog status at Karaka.
The indicators are compelling with clearly
the largest draft comprising 103 lots in Book 1 and 40 of those by New
Zealand's standout sire Savabeel. In 2014 Chittick's Matamata farm claimed its
first National Sale vendors' title riding a wave based on stallion strength and
has been unstoppable since.
Twelve months ago Waikato's 83-strong draft realised $12,845,000 after five withdrawals and eight passings resulted in 70 sold at an average of $183,500 headed by the $875,000 Savabeel-Posy filly. This time round, and after committing his entire yearling crop to New Zealand Bloodstock's annual sale, Chittick has submitted a record entry representing another selection of quality bloodlines.
"By the time we get to Karaka and we've had the inevitable withdrawals, the number will be closer to 80," Chittick said. "The size of the draft is something we manage year by year and I'd say the quality is right up there again.
"But whether we end up topping the vendors' table again, that's not something I tend to focus on. The main objective taking a draft to any sale is to find buyers for as many as you can, so first and foremost that's what we'll all be working towards."
Karaka 2018 was a first for all vendors with the new-look expanded Book 1 taking the place of the former Premier session and the top end of the second-tier Select catalogue. For Waikato Stud that meant concentrating its whole draft in Book 1, which will again be the pattern when selling commences with the 100-lot late Sunday opening session.
"It went smoothly enough for us last year and we got a very good result, so even though we'll have a few more to put through this time round I don't see it being much different," Chittick said. "We've got good systems in place, which is all about planning well in advance and step by step making sure it all comes together."
Savabeel, the current star of the Waikato show, has continued to go from strength to strength in the opening months of the new season. At all ages and distances his progeny have performed, highlighted by seven-year-old mare Shillelagh adding the Gr. 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on the anniversary of her Gr. 1 Cantala Stakes (1600m) win, and two-year-old Aotea Lad winning on debut in the Gr. 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m) at Trentham.
"That's probably the most amazing statistic with Savabeel – his number of two-year-old winners," Chittick said. "We didn't really expect that, he was a horse that we thought would leave progeny that would get better with time, and while that's true in a lot of cases, it's quite remarkable that he's had so many two year-old winners right up to Group One here and in Australia."
A reminder of the standing that Savabeel holds in the eyes of local and overseas participants came at New Zealand Bloodstock's Ready to Run Sale in November when two-year-olds by Savabeel dominated proceedings. Eleven by him were knocked down for a total of $3,445,000 at an average of $313,182.
The sale-topper was the bay colt from Disguised, making him a brother to the dual Group One winner Costume. He had been sold for $210,000 from Waikato's 2018 Karaka draft to Rogerson Bloodstock, whose principal Graeme Rogerson trained Savabeel to win the Cox Plate and remains one of his biggest fans. Rogerson and his wife Debbie also trained Costume for Waikato Stud, hence the additional attraction to her younger brother.
At the Ready to Run Sale Rogerson made no secret of his desire to retain the colt, but in the end money talked and he was trumped in the bidding by Lang Lin's Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry. In dollars and cents terms, for the good-looking colt to realise more than double his yearling price was still a very pleasing outcome, even something that his breeder acknowledges.
"Graeme and Debbie paid market rate for him in January and good on them for getting such a good result less than a year later," Chittick said. "Looking ahead it's good to know they're cashed up, so hopefully they'll return to the same source."
Chittick hopes the buying bench will have eyes for not just the progeny of Waikato Stud's reigning champion but also for the range of other sires represented in their draft.
"The Savabeels are obviously at the top of buyers' lists, but looking at the draft as a whole there's a lovely selection of yearlings by other sires," he said.
"There's a lot of talk out there about the two-year-olds by Sacred Falls, we saw the evidence of that at the Ready to Run Sale (third highest average at $186,667) and the trainers that have got them are very happy.
"We've put our full support behind him, which is evident in the second-crop yearlings we'll be offering, and as individuals they're a great line with the same athleticism and temperament that Sacred Falls and the whole O'Reilly line displayed.
"The colt out of Savodara is a stunner, also the Celebrate colt and the fillies out of Promenade and Anahita, they're great types too."
With a running tally of winners from his first two crops that now numbers 57, Waikato's second Cox Plate hero Ocean Park is compiling an excellent record. Chittick concedes that the crowning glory would be a Group One victory, something that has been denied by mere inches in two cases – New Zealand Derby runner-up Mongolianconqueror and Queensland Oaks runner-up Another Dollar.
"He just needs that big result but everything else about what the Ocean Park progeny are doing tells us it's only a matter of time. As far as our yearling draft goes, the colts out of Bird and Eudora and the Romancing and Shopaholic fillies would stand any inspection."
Pins was farewelled at the age of 21 last autumn but his influence remains as the sire of November's New Zealand 2000 Guineas winner Madison County as well as 10 yearlings in the Waikato draft amongst 21 in Book 1 and a total of 27 across the whole sale.
"Pins holds a special place with us going back nearly 20 years and it meant so much to see a son of his that we bred win the 2000 Guineas," says Chittick. "The colts in our draft out of Genius and Costume are just the types to carry on his legacy, plus we've still got another crop to come." – The Informant
