First season sire foals to go under hammer at NZB National Weanling Sale
The NZB National Weanling Sale at Karaka on Friday will present a first public glimpse of some of the first-crop foals from New Zealand’s new and exciting stallions, as the Australasian bloodstock market continues with its breeding stock sales.
Kiwi Chronicles visited and contacted stud managers of the seven new sires, whose first crop were foaled last spring, with all but one stallion represented at the May 14 foal sale. They include Rich Hill Stud’s Ace High (High Chaparral), Japanese import Staphanos (Deep Impact) (Novara Park), Cambridge Stud resident Embellish (Savabeel), U S Navy Flag (War Front), who stood his first two seasons at Valachi Downs before relocating to The Oaks Stud for the upcoming season, as well as Ocean Emperor (Zabeel) (Weowna Park), Eminent (Frankel) (Brighthill Farm) and Waikato Stud’s Ardrossan (Redoute’s Choice), the only stallion not represented at Friday’s sale.
The auction is the first opportunity for studs to showcase their new stallion’s offspring as buyers pass first judgement on their foals and bid to kickstart a stallion’s career ahead of their third and crucial season in the breeding barn.
Although comprising a select 114 lots, there will be plenty to tantalise buyers at the Karaka sale.
Ace High (High Chaparral), Rich Hill Stud
2019 fee: $10,000
High Chaparral (Sadler’s Wells) and his sons are revered in Australasia. So You Think and Dundeel are among the best performed stallions in the southern hemisphere and Contributer recently joined the Group 1 club when his Lion’s Roar defeated a top field in the Randwick Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m). As did Toronado, who sired the recent William Reid Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Masked Crusader in what’s been an exceptional breakthrough year for the Swettenham Stud stallion.
While the High Chaparral line is more renowned for producing offspring that peak at three and beyond, Rich Hill Stud’s John Thompson makes an important observation of his very own son of High Chaparral, dual Group 1 winner Ace High, who raced
“Ace High is very interesting because it is too easy to look at his Victoria Derby victory and come to the (inaccurate) conclusion that breeders and owners will have to wait. Not so,” said Thompson.
“At two, in October, he ran second to Champagne Cuddles (later a dual Group winner and multiple Group 1 placed sprinter) at his first start. As a maiden he ran fifth in the (VRC) Sires’ and fourth in the (ATC) Champagne.
“His trainer, David Payne, said he was the soundest horse in the stable, that’s why he kept him going,” continued Thompson. “He won in July (of his two-year-old year) but was kept in training, ready to go for the three-year-old spring semi-classics, winning the Gloaming, the Spring Champion and, of course, the Group 1 classic, the Victoria Derby in succession.
“His first crop are strong and well muscled. Overall they’re nice, correct foals. Ace High has certainly stamped them because he, too, is a physically strong type,” concluded Thompson.
Ace High has 69 first crop foals on the ground and will be represented by nine lots at the upcoming NZB Weanling Sale.
Ardrossan (Redoute’s Choice), Waikato Stud
2019 fee: $8,000
In a brief nine-race career Ardrossan (Redoute’s Choice) showed he inherited real class from not only his outstanding sire and sire of sires Redoute’s Choice (Danehill), but also from his damsire, Iglesia (Last Tycoon). The latter is responsible for the very much in demand Written Tycoon, who is enjoying a spectacular season in Australia.
Unbeaten in two starts at two, including a Listed win, Ardrossan did not come up at three due to a heart ailment.
Waikato Stud’s Mark Chittick takes up the story: “We sent Ardrossan to Australia with very high hopes as he’d shown he was a high quality galloper. It might have been a virus but, whatever it was, he was not himself.
“Our vet, Dr. Chris Phillips, did some research and found a treatment. Ardrossan came back at four to win the Concorde. So, we went back to Sydney, had to scratch due to a wet track then he injured himself.”
One of Ardrossan’s premier performances was when finishing a close third behind multiple Group 1 winners Melody Belle (Commands) and The Bostonian (Jimmy Choux) in the Waikato Sprint, (Gr 1, 1400m).
“So, there is a genuine reason for not attaining a Group 1 but he had all the right credentials,” continued Chittick. “He fits a similar profile to Centaine who had 34 foals his first year (Ardrossan has 39) and had an amazing first crop of 12 stakes winners.
“They’re nice foals and if they can run it will be all on. He probably represents the best value of any stallion in the country. He can only go one way and that is upwards,” concluded Chittick.
Ardorssan is a half-brother to two stakes winners and his dam is a stakes placed sister to Diamondsontheinside (Iglesia), a multiple stakes winner with 15 career successes.
Ardrossan is the sole first-crop stallion to not be represented at the upcoming NZB National Weanling Sale.
Embellish (Savabeel), Cambridge Stud
2019 fee: $5,000
Embellish (Savabeel) may not be the first son of multiple champion sire Savabeel (Zabeel) to stand at stud but he has found himself in the perfect location to assume the responsibility of continuing the Sir Tristram – Zabeel line.
A classic winner of the New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) and a brother to the top class Group 1-winning mare Diademe, he is from a super family and is blessed with good looks. His opportunity will be enhanced by having access to some of the very best families available at Brendan and Jo Lindsay’s historic Cambridge Stud.
Kiwi Chronicles visited Cambridge Stud recently and caught up with CEO Henry Plumptre, as well as Scott Calder,and Cameron Ring, who handle stallion nominations.
“Here at Cambridge Stud we have a lineup of foals that are everything you’d like to see in foals. They are correct, strong and have good tops,” stated Plumptre. “He is the only Group 1 son of Savabeel at stud and Savabeel is having a phenomenal season, especially in Australia.
“We supported Embellish with mares from Cambridge Stud’s best and, judging from his first crop, we won’t have any trouble filling his book this year.”
For Ring and Embellish, it’s a case of “full circle” as he prepped Embellish for the yearling sale while at Waikato Stud as he sold for $775,000 at the 2016 NZB Karaka Yearling Sale.
“Being a David Ellis buy, Embellish was looked at by all of David’s advisors and experts before making the decision to buy him,” said Ring. “In that regard, the colt had to be nigh on perfect. He was the highest priced Savabeel at that time.”
“His conformation was and is excellent and he is passing that on to his foals. One of his first mares was severely offset but her foal is very correct,” Ring continued.
“As a yearling, Embellish knew he was number one and everyone around him knew it too.”
Adding to Ring’s assessment, Calder said: “Embellish is a $10,000 stallion at a very affordable $4,000 fee. The intention was to get numbers on the ground to give him his best opportunity.
“He has covered 240 mares in his first two seasons but part of the reason for those numbers is his good looks.”
Stallion manager David O’Leary, who also worked at Waikato Stud, looking after both O’Reilly (Last Tycoon) and Savabeel, said: “Embellish has plenty of traits of both stallions. He has a placid nature and is a dream to handle.”
Embellish has 76 first crop foals on the ground and will be represented by six lots at the upcoming NZB Weanling Sale.
Eminent (Frankel), Brighthill Farm
2019 fee: $8,000
The first, and so far only, son of Frankel (Galileo) to stand in New Zealand is Eminent.
There is a reason that Timeform rated Frankel the best ever. He was a powerhouse galloper who simply pulverised his opponents.
Before an Australian campaign, which saw Eminent finish second to Avilius (Pivotal) in the Ranvet Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), the colt had the class to score at Group 2 level at Deauville (beating Avilius) and at Group 3 level at Newmarket. He also ran third in the Irish Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f) and finished fourth, less than two lengths behind Wings Of Eagles (Pour Moi), in the 2017 Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m4f).
Brighthill Farm studmaster Nick King is excited about the prospects of Eminent.
“His first foals have not disappointed,” he said. “They have plenty of leg length, are tall and athletic. They have good walks and have no conformation issues whatsoever.
“The stallion himself is just a lovely horse and has a fantastic syndicate behind him, as he is owned by Sir Peter Vela with support from shareholders such as Windsor Park Stud, Cambridge Stud and Haunui Farm, he is being given every opportunity and he has delivered,” said King.
“Physically, they are more like his sire Frankel than their grandsire Galileo, which is good given the success of the Frankels in Sydney this autumn.”
Eminent has 71 first crop foals on the ground and will be represented by four lots at the upcoming NZB Weanling Sale.
Ocean Emperor (Zabeel), Weowna Park
2019 fee: $7,000
Ocean Emperor has a first-rate race record of nine wins, including three Group 2 victories to his name, plus his pedigree is really fascinating.
A son of Zabeel, a sire of sires through Savabeel, the recently-passed Reset, Octagonal and Zed, Ocean Emperor is bred on identical lines to the outstanding racemare Probabeel (Savabeel).
His dam is a Pins (Snippets) three-quarter blood sister to Far Fetched (Pins), the dam of Probabeel. She, of course, is by Zabeel’s son Savabeel.
Owner and studmaster Gary Hennessy is very pleased with his first crop.
“They are strong behind, they’re correct and have a fantastic temperament, just like their sire,” he said.
“I have chosen his mares carefully. Sir Patrick Hogan set the blueprint when it came to choosing mates for Zabeel so mares from the Danehill line were my target.”
Hennessy, who trained multiple Group 1 Champion and now successful sire Ocean Park (Thorn Park), was asked to compare Ocean Emperor with Ocean Park.
“He won a two-year-old trial by five lengths, unusual for a Zabeel but I thought enough of him to nominate him for the Cox Plate. He defeated seven-time Group 1 Champion Kawi (Savabeel) at weight-for-age.
“We have an Ocean Emperor colt from Sha Tin Sunday in the (NZB National Weanling) sale and I will eat my hat if he isn’t a winner at two,” concluded Hennessy.
Ocean Emperor has ten first crop foals on the ground and will be represented by four lots at the upcoming NZB Weanling Sale. Notably, all four are from Danehill-line mares.
Staphanos (Deep Impact), Novara Park
2019 fee: $7,000
Representing the hugely successful Sunday Silence-Deep Impact line, Staphanos did the majority of his racing in Japan with a few worthwhile trips across the East China Sea to Hong Kong. He remained sound through six seasons and ended with considerable earnings in his native country.
A Group 3 winner in his homeland he also gained three Group 1 placings, two in Hong Kong are particularly notable, finishing second in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) behind Blazing Speed (Dylan Thomas) and third, behind Champion Maurice (Screen Hero), in the Hong Kong Cup (Gr 1, 2000m).
Novara Park’s Luigi Muollo is bullish about the prospects of Staphanos and the Deep Impact (Sunday Silence) influence.
“Staphanos is the highest stake earner at stud in New Zealand,” he said. “He is a son of super sire Deep Impact.
“The late Deep Impact was again the world’s leading stallion by progeny earnings in 2020, a title he has held annually since 2013 and he has a commanding lead already in 2021. He is the sire of 173 individual stakes winners and has a winners to runners ratio of 74 per cent.”
Regarding the first crop of Staphanos, Muollo stated: “His first foals have been well received by breeders. They are strong, correct, and balanced, have good bone, excellent scope, and most importantly they come with Deep Impact quality.
“Novara Park have supported Staphanos with some of our best mares,” he continued. “We have a beautiful Staphanos filly out of Extra Explosive, the dam of Australian Derby winner Explosive Jack and also of Champion Hong Kong Griffin Pick Number One.
“We also have a stunning Staphanos filly out of Cool Storm, the dam of Auckland Cup winner Ocean Billy.
“Staphanos also provides an affordable service fee to breeders. Many breeders that have foals on the ground are returning to him and his foals will certainly convince other breeders to send a mare to him.”
Staphanos has 62 first crop foals on the ground and will be represented by four lots at the upcoming NZB Weanling Sale.
U S Navy Flag (War Front), Valachi Downs
2019 fee: $20,000
(Standing at The Oaks Stud in 2021)
On performance alone, U S Navy Flag (War Front) has a mouth-watering race record, twice scoring at Group 1 level at two and returning at three to take out the time-tested July Cup (Gr 1, 6f) after finishing third in the Irish 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m).
His family is enormously talented. His sister, Roly Poly, matched his three Group 1s while their dam, Misty For Me (Galileo) went one better, bagging four Group 1s including the Irish 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m).
Gareth Downey, Valachi Downs general manager, is glad to see U S Navy Flag continue to shuttle to New Zealand, after the stud’s business realignment.
The stallion received strong support from New Zealand breeders in his first two seasons at stud and will return for his third season at The Oaks Stud in Cambridge.
“His race record and pedigree are superb, and the moment you see him and watch him move, it is immediately evident what a high class individual he is,” said Downey.
“The real key of any stallion is, of course, the quality of progeny they leave. Rick Williams of The Oaks Stud was concerned that such a stallion might be lost to the industry and visited all the studs that had his foals before deciding to make a play to stand him.
“His feedback and feedback from breeders around Australasia has been exceptional. The line of foals we have here by him at Valachi is as good as anyone could hope for in a first crop of foals,” he said.
“Valachi will definitely be using him in our mating plans, in fact we doubled the original number of mares after seeing his first foals.”
U S Navy Flag has 84 first crop foals on the ground and three lots will be offered at the upcoming NZB Weanling Sale.