‘Savabeel’ Rising Star
Featured Image: SAVABEEL (AUS)
ZABEEL (SIR TRISTRAM) x SAVANNAH SUCCESS (Success Express)
Race Record: 3rd – Salinger Champagne Stakes (1600) Gr.1
See: https://www.breednet.com.au/sire-tables/
Perusing the Sires Premierships Tables (as I do several times a day) I’m struck by the rise-and-rise of NZ based-based super star ‘Savabeel’. His success in his homeland has been exceptional. He’s just enjoyed a stellar Saturday (01/04/2023) in Australian racing with outstanding victories by his progeny in the Group I Races @ Royal Randwick: ‘I Wish I Win’ $3 million T J Smith Stakes (1200m) & ‘Major Beel’ in the $2 million ATC Derby (2400m). This is an extraordinary double by any measure of achievement. They propelled ‘Savabeel’ to the No. 2 position on the Australian General Sires List with earnings of $15,270,073 second only to ‘I Am Invincible’ with $17,618,318. We are just 2/3 of the way through the racing calendar 2022/2023 but a high placing is assured. I seriously doubt any of our homebred sires in recent times could produce two Group I winners on the same day over distances of 1200m and 2400m? Some of our major races at 1800m and beyond have either very few or occasionally NO local-breds competing!
Postscript: The hot ‘Savabeel’ form was fully franked in the $1 million ‘Coolmore Legacy’ 1600m with the victory of ‘Atishu’ 5 year old Mare (Savabeel ex Posy NZ) = $580,000:00 first prize. It propels ‘Savabeel’ to a clear 2nd. on the General Sires List.
‘Savabeel’ has been the NZ Super Sire of this century boasting a fabulous record:
Champion Sire Earnings New Zealand 2020
Champion Sire Winners New Zealand 2020
Champion Sire Earnings New Zealand 2019
Champion Sire Winners New Zealand 2019
Champion Sire Earnings New Zealand 2018
Champion Sire Winners New Zealand 2018
Champion Sire Earnings New Zealand 2017
Champion Sire Winners New Zealand 2017
Champion Sire Earnings New Zealand 2016
Champion Sire Earnings New Zealand 2015
His achievements underpin the cosmic Sir Tristram/Zabeel dynasty introduced by the late Sir Patrick Hogan. It harkens back to the halcyon days, for NZ, of Alcimedes, Agricola, Oncidium, Le Filou etc.
In order of ascendency on the Australian Sires Premiership Table ‘Savabeel’s progress has been strong bordering on inexorable if not spectacular.
See: https://www.bloodstock.com.au/bloodstock/sire-premiership-table.php
| Season | Position | Runners | Winners | Wins | Stakes Winners | Stakes Wins | Earnings | Top Earner | Seasons Earnings |
| 2017/18 | 27 | 149 | 70 | 111 | 4 | 4 | $5,033,791 | Shillelagh | $745,500 |
| 2018/19 | 25 | 170 | 74 | 124 | 3 | 3 | $5,940,401 | Shillelagh | $898,800 |
| 2019/20 | 19 | 178 | 86 | 132 | 7 | 7 | $6,921,373 | The Chosen One | $577,000 |
| 2020/21 | 15 | 187 | 92 | 143 | 8 | 12 | $8,881,865 | Probabeel | $1,440,000 |
| 2021/22 | 10 | 158 | 77 | 121 | 10 | 16 | $10,062,790 | Probabeel | $1,249,000 |
| 2022/23 | 2 | 163 | 77 | 105 | 8 | 10 | $15,270,073 | I Wish I Win | $7,617,500 |
*2022/23 = To date (03/04/2023)
This is most unusual for a stallion who is now rising 22yo (foaled 2001). They usually tend to ‘taper off’ some time before this.
First Season Sires by Earnings 2022/2023 as at 03/04/2023
See: https://www.bloodstock.com.au/bloodstock/sire-premiership-table.php
| Stallion | Position | Runners | Winners | Wins | Stks Win’rs | Stks Wins | Earnings | Top Earner | Seasons Earnings |
| Justify | 1 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | $1,5365,000 | Learning to Fly | $1,470,000 |
| Harry Angel | 2 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | $753,725 | Arkansaw Kid | $582.000 |
| Trapeze Artist | 3 | 21 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | $671,415 | Facile | $238,250 |
| Brave Smash | 4 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 1 | $602,685 | Brave Halo | $235,020 |
| Written By | 5 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | $338,600 | The Novelist | $164,700 |
| Grunt | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | $279,870 | Veight | $277,500 |
| Showtime | 7 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | $267,410 | Tacito | $150,925 |
| Stratosphere | 8 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | $226,835 | Cairns | $62,125 |
| Performer | 9 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | $176,355 | Sonny Daze | $44,250 |
| Encryption | 10 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | $165,140 | Keyboard | $65,625 |
| 1 | Justify | 8 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | $1,535,000 | Learning to Fly, $1,470,000 |
| 2 | Harry Angel | 14 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | $753,725 | Arkansaw Kid, $582,000 |
| 3 | Trapeze Artist | 21 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | $671,415 | Facile, $238,250 |
| 4 | Brave Smash | 14 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 1 | $602,685 | Brave Halo, $235,020 |
| 5 | Written By | 16 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | $338,600 | The Novelist, $164,700 |
| 6 | Grunt | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | $279,870 | Veight, $277,500 |
| 7 | Showtime | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | $267,410 | Tacito, $150,925 |
| 8 | Stratosphere | 11 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | $226,835 | Cairns, $62,125 |
| 9 | Performer | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | $176,355 | Sonny Daze, $44,350 |
| 10 | Encryption | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | $165,140 | Keyboard, $65,625 |
I do not recall such a sparse list in recent times. It begs the question of the racing of 2yos. There appears to have been a paradigm shift. An informed emerging but already experienced Irish colleague said to me recently: “They breed to sell rather than breed to race”. Could there be anything in this? Does he mean a ‘supermarket’ for horses? An experienced professional colleague with toe-holes in both States says it’s a NSW phenomenon and ‘different’ in Victoria? However it’s undeniable that a large majority of ‘successful’ sires are based in NSW and mainly in the Upper Hunter Valley. This also applies to ’emerging sires’. Is it a ‘numbers game’? Marketing strategies promote the dubious premise that ‘it’s a Sale that makes a horse’ rather then the reverse?
At the time of writing (06/04/2023) none of our home-based champion stallions in recent times are represented on the middle-distance (1600m – 2000m) and/or staying sires tables (2000m plus).
See: https://www.breednet.com.au/sire-tables/
Although dominant over the past few years neither ‘Snitzel’ or ‘I Am Invincible’ have achieved eminence in ‘staying races’ although the former has some excellent representatives in middle distance contests on ‘softer’ tracks. This is reflective of our overall race programming and prizemoney allocation over a prolonged period.
About 50 years ago I did all the race programming for Scone Race Club. We had a tight c. 1400m (7 furlong) track at White Park, Scone. The reality was that over 90% of our race fields were made up by Maidens and Improvers between 5 furlongs (1000m) and 7 furlongs (1400m). The Open ‘Flying’ Handicaps were generally 5 furlongs (1000m). Occasionally we programmed a Country or Rural Stakes which had to be run at distances great than 1 mile (1600m) for horses from Maiden to Progressive Class at set weights. Maidens, although eligible, were weighted as Improvers for Rural Stakes.