Waikato Stud claim 11th Breeder of the Year title
Another year of New Zealand thoroughbred breeding excellence was celebrated on Saturday night at the National Breeding Awards at Karapiro, with powerhouse breeders Waikato Stud claiming top honours.
Hosted by the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, the awards recognised the elite performances of 24 individual Group 1 winners plus outstanding achievements in a host of categories.
Sprint sensation Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) was named the Horse of the Year, with breeders Fraser and Erin Auret of Grandmoral Lodge collecting a swathe of awards care of the son of Shamexpress (O’Reilly), who went undefeated in eight starts this term including four Group 1 victories.
But it was the Chittick family’s Waikato Stud that were named Sir Patrick and Justine Lady Hogan New Zealand Breeder of the Year for a remarkable 11th time, after another season of outstanding results.
Waikato Stud’s breeding influence was headlined by Atishu (Savabeel), winner of the Empire Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), and the dazzling juvenile La Dorada (Super Seth), who swept the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m), Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), and the Karaka 2YO Million (RL, 1200m).
Savaglee (Savabeel) added further top-flight success, claiming the New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) in addition to three Group 2 victories, while also boasting Group 1 placings on both sides of the Tasman.
In total, Waikato Stud bred 135 individual winners for the season, including eight stakes winners — five at Group level — and another 12 stakes-placed horses, a testament to their remarkable depth and consistent excellence.
“This award means a massive amount to us,” Mark Chittick said. “The integrity this award has internationally we are very proud of and every one of them —and the first one was when we were at Thornton Park in Palmerston North — and this one means just as much as that first one.
“We are wholly and solely a breeding operation. You take those three Group 1 winners that we are very proud of, accepting their recognition tonight, they are all families that we have been breeding out of for generations and they are all by stallions we have selected, purchased and made work and we haven’t done that by ourselves.
“We are very appreciative of the support we get throughout New Zealand.”