A new approach to marketing Chittick’s Waikato Stud draft to New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale, which opens on Sunday, was been put in place due to these troubled COVID-19 times.
Pre-auction parades at the Matamata farm have been well-attended by prospective domestic buyers and the challenge has been spreading the message to overseas buyers.
Internationals will be absent from the Karaka complex due to coronavirus travel restrictions and Chittick has blended new promotional techniques alongside tried and true methods to showcase the 28 yearlings to be offered during Book 1.
“We usually offer three times that many, so to some degree it will be a whole lot more relaxed and a whole lot more enjoyable,” he said.
“However, due to current circumstances we have been, and will be, working doubly-hard to ensure our clients that can’t be at the Sale will be as familiar with the horses as if they were able to attend.
“We’ve been working with the Kick Sales Platform and basically every piece of information on each horse’s life is accessible. X-ray and scope reports have been completed by two highly respected independent vets, Dr Chris Lawler and Dr Dave McKellar, and will be live on the site on Friday.
“In the past, people have only had to ask us and we tell it like it is in black and white fashion and that’s still the case, but it is also all there on the internet for those not here. All of the Waikato Stud team is still only a phone call away as well.”
Mark Chittick
Promoting brand paramount
Waikato Stud has been the leading vendor at the National Yearling Sale since 2014, but the Matamata farm has also been a regular and successful vendor across Australia. Its reduced Karaka presence reflects the need to also uphold its brand profile overseas.
“We have put massive investment into stallions over the last 15 years and off the back of that we’ve enjoyed great success throughout Australasia, particularly in Australia,” Chittick told TDN AusNZ.
“It is very important that we have as many of our product in Australia as possible to keep that success flowing.”
That was most certainly the case in 2020 with the roster continuing to make a widespread impact.
Savabeel | Standing at Waikato Stud
“The most important thing for our business is the stallions and the last calendar year has been a stellar one for Waikato Stud stallions,” Chittick said.
“Savabeel just keeps performing at an incredible level with Group 1 winners and stakes winners and we know what his strengths are.
“Savabeel just keeps performing at an incredible level with Group 1 winners and stakes winners and we know what his strengths are.” – Mark Chittick
“It’s all fallen into place for Ocean Park achieving one of the New Zealand Stallion Awards (Dewar Award), and a multiple Group 1 winner (Kolding) and stakes winners. Sacred Falls posted stakes winners and a Group 1 winner (Aegon).
“Tivaci is at his 2-year-old year and I think the future for him is extremely exciting. I love the horse and what he leaves and being able to cross that Sadler’s Wells-line over Savabeel mares.
“In typical Waikato Stud stallion style, he will slowly gather momentum and then all of a sudden it will all take off.
“We successfully acquired Super Seth, such an incredibly high-profile Australasian-bred and raced horse and he served what I regard as one of the best first-season books that any of our stallions have ever served.”
Super Seth | Standing at Waikato Stud
The 2020 Karaka Sale is a venture into the unknown and Chittick said all vendors had upped their games to put the maximum number of points on the board.
“No-one has experienced a Sale like this, but I do believe for those of us who depend on the industry for our livelihoods we have all really stepped up and dotted every I and crossed every T.
“This is where the relationships we have developed over decades really come into play and importance. Those relationships are very strong and everyone in the industry wants to have a good horse and give it an opportunity.
“This is where the relationships we have developed over decades really come into play and importance.” – Mark Chittick
“We produce a large number of horses and once again we try to breed the best racehorses we possibly can. Our job is to produce them, rear them and get them to the Sale and give them every opportunity to fulfil their potential.
“The most important thing for us is to get these horses out of our ownership and into new ownership and give them new opportunities.
“There are another bunch of foals already in the paddock and branded ready for the process to start again, it’s a never-ending story.”
Waikato Stud’s Book 1 draft will again ooze quality and is dominated by representatives of its resident stallions.
“We’ve got a number of lovely fillies, including the daughter of Tivaci and Exactly Like You and the Glee filly. Typically, we sell any number of top fillies out of young, unproven mares.
“I see it year upon year that they perform on the track and then we’re selling a brother, sister, half-brother or half-sister to a Group winner and it keeps repeating itself.
“Those couple of fillies certainly fit into that bracket in my opinion.”
Well-credentialled fillies
The Tivaci filly, Lot 382, is out of the unraced Savabeel mare Exactly Like You (NZ), who is a three-quarter sister to the G2 Matriarch S. winner Savapinski (NZ) (Savabeel).
Lot 422 is the daughter of Savabeel and Glee (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), who hails from the decorated family of the farm’s three-time Group 1 winner Daffodil (NZ) (No Excuse Needed {GB}).
“We’ve also got some quality Savabeel colts and probably the highlight is the one out of Mystery Lake, the last one to go through the ring,” Chittick said. “He ticks all the boxes and fits into that neat Savabeel colt that we’ve seen for many years.”
He is Lot 568 with his dam Mystery Lake (USA) (Shackleford {USA}) a half-sister to the Listed Oaklawn Park Southwest S. winner and G1 Saratoga King’s Bishop S. runner-up Great Notion (USA) (Elusive Quality {USA}).
“I wanted every horse that goes to this Sale to be absolutely impeccable on every level and we have had a few withdrawals,” Chittick said.
“That is because for those horses, for various reasons, this is not their time of the year. There are other sales later on that will suit them better.”
Lot 568 - Savabeel x Mystery Lake (USA) (colt)
Waikato Stud’s selling year was off to a strong start at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where it sold nine lots for $1,925,000 at an average of $213,888 and a top price of $350,000 for a Savabeel colt.
“We were very happy and interestingly those horses at Magics averaged pretty much the same as what we averaged across Karaka last year so it will be interesting to see how things compare after Book 1 at Karaka this year,” Chittick said.
“We have to look forward and not back though and we’ve bred another quality crop of horses for Karaka and we just want to see them afforded every opportunity to get out on the racetracks and do their bit.”
