Savabeel colts set to sizzle at Karaka
A pair of prized colts sired by the late, great Savabeel (Zabeel) are among the headline lots at the 2026 New Zealand Bloodstock (NZB) Weanling Sale, which takes place at Karaka on Thursday.
A total of 114 youngsters will go under the hammer, including the first crop offered at auction by exciting young stallions Chaldean (Frankel), Paddington (Siyouni), Mr Mozart (Snitzel) and Hilal (Fastnet Rock).
But most eyes will inevitably be trained on Lots 20 and 137, the sale’s two Savabeel colts consigned by Waikato Stud and Cambridge Stud respectively.
Already precious commodities given Savabeel’s remarkable knack of producing elite athletes, the colts will no doubt be in even higher demand given the imminent paucity of the product following the untimely passing of Waikato’s former flagbearer earlier this month.
Waikato principal Mark Chittick and his trusty team on the Matamata farm were understandably devastated by the loss of their venerable veteran, who was buried directly beside the box where he had actively served for the previous 21 years of a life well lived.
But the Chittick family, who toasted his lasting legacy with a reassuringly expensive glass or two of French red wine, acknowledge that the show must go on and so the post-Savabeel era officially begins on Thursday morning when Lot 20 enters the Sir Patrick Hogan Auditorium at Karaka.
In what may form a future trivia question, the colt – whose dam Purple Rain (Rock ‘n Pop) is the half-sister to stakes-placed mare Felton Road (Pins) – gives prospective buyers the opportunity to secure Savabeel’s first posthumous foal to enter the open market.
“He’s a nice colt and very typical of the breed,” Chittick told ANZ News.
“He’s a big, dark colt, so you can readily pick him out as a son of Savabeel. He’s a late foal so he’s still got plenty of growing and maturing to do, but he’s taken everything in his stride so far – as they all have.
“I would be very happy to take any of our draft to a yearling sale next year, or to keep them as longer-term racing propositions, so I hope the buyers will appreciate that we’ve made every effort to present a really nice group of horses at this sale.”
Chittick revealed that the inclusion of the son of Savabeel – not to mention seven colts by Coolmore’s recent acquisition Super Seth (Dundeel) – was reflective of Waikato’s renewed focus of offering buyers quality over quantity at this particular sale.
That approach was borne out by the family farm’s results last year, highlighted by the $130,000 Waikato realised for Super Seth’s chestnut colt out Queen Leonora (Savabeel); and while Chittick was reluctant to predict that any member of their 11-strong draft of colts might fetch an even higher price 12 months on, he has no doubt that the buying bench will be impressed by the quality of the stock on offer.
“We’ve put a lot of preparation into this draft and have made a conscious effort to take a really nice group of horses to this sale,” he told ANZ News.
“I helped truck them up there to Karaka and I was very impressed with every one of them. Their preparation has been faultless, it’s very hard to pick one out and I’m sure each of them will hold some appeal.
“Whereas in the past our approach to this sale has maybe been more of a numbers game, this year we’re really out to make an impression. Last year was probably the first time that we made a real effort with the weanling market, and it went pretty well so we’re hoping to keep it going this year. We feel we’ve made another stride forward this time, so hopefully it pays off for us and it’s certainly something we’d like to do more of in the future.
“We’ve got a big crop of 2025 foals on the farm, so we’re looking not only to grow into the markets but also to spread the opportunities for our stock to head to the sales. Rather than wholly and solely looking at yearling sales, we’re keen to explore more avenues such as the weanling and ready to run sales.”
NZB’s Bloodstock Sales Manager, Kane Jones, is confident that the sale – whose previous graduates include Group 1 winners Pignan (Staphanos), Callsign Mav (Atlante) and Jennifer Eccles (Rip Van Winkle) – will once again provide ample opportunity for pinhookers and end users alike to source quality racehorses.
“We’re pleased with what’s on offer and the sire power in particular,” he told ANZ News.
“It’s great to have all our first season sires represented, and to get an early look at their foals prior to Karaka 2027. We expect good interest in the sale and with the exchange rate in their favour, it comes as no surprise to see a number of Australians in attendance.”
The trading gets underway at 11am local time (9am AEST) when Westbury Stud offers a filly by Redwood (High Chaparral), followed immediately by the first of Waikato Stud’s 11 weanlings, a colt by the farm’s resident stallion Ardrossan (Redoute’s Choice).
Little Avondale’s resident Per Incanto (Street Cry), who took top honours in 2025 when his bay colt out of the stakes-placed mare London Express (Shamexpress) was knocked down for $190,000 to Newgate Farm’s Jim Carey, has five youngsters up for auction this year.
Every weanling at the sale is eligible for nomination to NZB’s lucrative Karaka Millions Series, headlined by the $1m Karaka Millions 2YO (RL, 1200m) and the $1.5m Karaka Millions 3YO (RL, 1600m).