Another year of New Zealand thoroughbred breeding excellence was celebrated on Saturday night at the Property Brokers 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 One winners plus outstanding achievements in a host of categories.
Sprint sensation Ka Ying Rising was named the Seton Otway Horse of the Year, with breeders Fraser and Erin Auret of Grandmoral Lodge collecting a swathe of awards care of the son of Shamexpress, who went undefeated in eight starts this term including four Group One victories.
But it was the Chittick family’s Waikato Stud 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, winner of the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m), and the dazzling juvenile La Dorada, who swept the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), and the Karaka 2YO Million (1200m).
Savaglee added further top-flight success, claiming the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) in addition to three Group Two victories, while also boasting Group One 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 a wholly and solely a breeding operation. You take those three Group One 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.”
Chittick said much of the success of the family-operated stud was the passion of the hard-working team behind it.
“On the farm there are now three generations of Chitticks involved, but I accept this award on behalf of Waikato Stud because we have got a unbelievable group of people who are just absolutely passionate about horses and Waikato Stud and about the success of the place,” he said.
“We get through the lows and enjoy the highs but we just could not do it without them.”
Among the finalists for the supreme award were Sir Brendan and Lady Jo Lindsay of Cambridge Stud, Nearco Stud and Pencarrow Stud.
“If I can just congratulate the other finalists because it was a pretty auspicious line-up tonight and New Zealand should be incredibly proud of all of its breeding success,” Chittick said.
“I’d like to acknowledge everybody in the room tonight trying to breed a good horse and the people that have got up here.
“It’s been our life. That’s the only thing I have done. We kicked off at the Trentham Sales mucking out boxes with Sam Williams, the Chitty family, Dean Hawthorne, the Schicks and many more.
“This is an incredible industry given the backbone of people that are passionate about horses and love the game. It’s a great group of people.”
While Waikato Stud is poised for a new era care of the deeds of the farm’s gun young stallion Super Seth, his remarkable barn-mate Savabeel claimed his 10th Grosvenor (Leading sire by total progeny earnings within New Zealand) and Dewar Awards (Leading sire by total progeny earnings within New Zealand & Australia), cementing his legacy as one of the truly great stallions in New Zealand’s history.
“Obviously we all keep trying to find the next one, but he is a stallion of a lifetime,” Chittick said.
“He is rising 24 years old now and has been at the farm 20 years. We had a bit of a mishap last year which was none of his wrong-doing but certainly once we got back on track he actually ended up with a really good season.
“He is fit and healthy, he looks fantastic and is still bouncing around the place so we just carry on as it is.”
Award winners:
Dewar (Australasian earnings): Savabeel
Grosvenor (New Zealand earnings): Savabeel
Centaine (Worldwide earnings): Per Incanto
Breeder of the Year sponsored by Dunstan Horsefeeds Ltd: Waikato Stud
Eight Carat Broodmare of the Year sponsored by Arion Pedigrees: Missy Moo (Ka Ying Rising, owned by Fraser Auret)
Small Breeder of the Year sponsored by Luigi Muollo: Grandmoral Lodge
Mary-Lynne Ryan Young Achiever of the Year sponsored by LOVERACING.NZ: Jack Stewart – White Robe Lodge
Personality of the Year sponsored by Entain AU & NZ: Steve Davis
Property Brokers Seton Otway Horse of the Year: Ka Ying Rising
