Per Incanto will stand at NZ$17,500 + GST next season and principal Sam Williams said there was justification for the service fee to have been considerably more.
“In a healthy environment the horse could have gone to NZ$30,000, it’s as simple as that, but we’ve got to think about the breeders.
“The mare pool has shrunk, but there’s no doubt there’s justification for the fee going up and I’m not worried about him getting a full book.”
Per Incanto
Per Incanto is New Zealand’s second leading active sire behind Savabeel and he is also proving popular with Australian breeders.
“In a healthy environment the horse could have gone to NZ$30,000, it’s as simple as that, but we’ve got to think about the breeders.” – Sam Williams.
“He’s had 13 stakes winners this season and two new Group 1 winners – Shadows Cast and Santa Monica,” Williams said.
“They weren’t soft Group 1 winners either, Shadows Cast won a premier mile in the Thorndon and Santa Monica won the premier sprint, The Railway.
“At the moment there will be 20 mares coming over from Australia. Bob Peters is one of the most prolific breeders of stakes performers and he sent a Commands mare over last year and two by Redoute’s Choice and they’ve stayed here to go to Per Incanto again.
“He’s not sex-biased either with very good colts and fillies.” – Sam Williams.
Per Incanto
“Bob reckons the horse is outstanding value and Shadwell have been very good supporters of the stallion as well. He’s doing a fantastic job off the back of NZ$4000 and NZ$5000 service fees so he’s got an amazing affinity to upgrade mares. He’s not sex-biased either with very good colts and fillies.”
Williams said Per Incanto had the perfect temperament, a factor in his overseas success.
“He’s absolutely flying and he’s created a market for himself in Asia with a runners to winners strike rate of 72 per cent.
“When I walk around the paddocks here there are some top quality yearlings and that is a reflection of the better mares he’s getting.”
Exciting times
Williams is equally excited about associate stallion Time Test (GB), who shuttles from the English National Stud and will stand at $NZ10,000 + GST.
“We’re looking forward to his first foals here in the spring and I’m heading to England later this month to see his foals there,” Williams said.
Time Test
“The photos that have come through of his foals look amazing and he covered 100 mares this season off the back of their quality.
“When he went back there after his first season here they couldn’t believe how much more the horse had developed.”
“He’s by a sire sensation in Dubawi out of a Group 1 winning 2-year-old in Passage Of Time.” - Sam Williams.
Time Test won six races, including two at Group 2 level for trainer Roger Charlton and was Group 1 placed before relocating to the New York stable of Chad Brown and was twice a Group 1 runner-up for him.
“He’s by a sire sensation in Dubawi out of a Group 1 winning 2-year-old in Passage Of Time,” Williams said. “He had a Timeform rating of 125 and he holds a track record at Ascot.
“I’ll have 25 to 30 mares going to him again this year. I think we’ve got some really exciting young stallions in the country whether it be Time Test or the likes of Tivaci, Vadamos, Belardo and Cambridge Stud’s quality pair of Almanzor and Roaring Lion.”
Outstanding value
The third member of the Little Avondale Stud line-up is Nadeem, who will stand at NZ$5000 + GST.
“In anyone’s language, 16 stakes winners and 65 per cent winners to runners ratio are good figures, but it’s his stakes winners to runners average of 5.5 per cent that places him at the next level,” Williams said.
Nadeem
“The industry benchmark to be regarded as a serious getter of black-type winners is 5 per cent and domestically there’s only a handful of stallions exceeding that figure. He represents great value.”
Winner of the G1 Blue Diamond S., the son of Redoute’s Choice’s leading representative is the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen winner Sterling City.
This season he has sired new black type winner Air Max (NZ), G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas placegetter Sir Nate (NZ) and stakes performers Mohaka (NZ), Princeton Spirit (NZ) and Tinkalicious (NZ).
