Racing: Cox Plate winner for NZ stud

Cox Plate winner Savabeel has been retired to stud in New Zealand following a deal that values the horse at $10 million.

Waikato Stud, of Matamata, yesterday announced it had purchased 20 of 50 shares in Savabeel at $200,000 apiece. The horse will stand at Waikato Stud next spring at a service fee of $35,000 plus GST.

Stud general manager Mark Chittick said the horse's transtasman trainer Graeme Rogerson would retain five shares and he would sell another 10 to Australian breeders and studs.

The remaining 15 shares would be sold to New Zealand studs and breeders.

"I have most of them tied up," Chittick told NZPA last night.

"Waikato Stud are absolutely delighted to be able to stand Savabeel," Chittick said.

"On one hand he has succeeded at the very highest level in Australia and on the other he is by New Zealand's champion stallion from a New Zealand Oaks winner.

"He is everything you look for in a stallion, and there was a fair bit of hot competition to secure him over the last few days."

By having the majority shares, Waikato Stud becomes the controlling owner.

"The importance of having control of a horse like this cannot be overstated, and the upside or profits he may generate will come mainly to the local industry and not offshore parties."

Rogerson bought Savabeel as a yearling for A$400,000, ($434,000) being well familiar with the horse through having trained his dam, Savannah Success to victories in the group one New Zealand Oaks and the group one Ansett Australia Stakes in Sydney.

It was as a 3-year-old in the spring of 2004 that Savabeel found the peak Rogerson had set him for with consecutive group one wins.

The first of them came against the best of his own age in the Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick in Sydney, then three weeks later Savabeel became just the second 3-year-old in 19 years to win Australia's premier weight for age race, the A$3 million Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley in Melbourne.

A week later Savabeel was just caught in the shadows of the post by Western Australia-trained Plastered when attempting to become the first horse in 20 years to win the daunting Cox Plate-Victoria Derby double.

Savabeel returned to the racetrack in February this year.

But following a second to subsequent international star Elvstroem in the group one Orr Stakes (1400m) his form disappointed.

The decision was made to retire the colt while he was still sound and to ready him for the 2005 breeding season.

Rogerson said there was strong demand for Savabeel.

"There were four or five people chasing him but I elected to run with Waikato Stud," Rogerson told Australian Associated Press.

"My heart wanted to keep racing him but my head wouldn't let me. It was a commercial decision. He was the best horse I have trained by far."

From 14 starts he won three and was placed four times, earning more than A$2.7 million ($2.93 million) in stakes.

- NZPA