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One of the hottest stallion rosters in New Zealand is that of Waikato Stud, and now courtesy of Waikato, breeders will be able to obtain complimentary TrueNicks reports for their mares with all eight Waikato Stud stallions.

That octet includes two of New Zealand’s best, in O’Reilly and Pins. By Champion Last Tycoon out of Golden Slipper (gr. I)-winning Champion 2-Year-Old Courtza, O'Reilly (NZ) (TrueNicks) himself earned Horse of the Year honors, with four wins in six starts, including the WRC Telegraph Handicap (gr. I) and RC Bayer Classic (gr. I). The potential demonstrated by that pedigree and race record has been borne out by a stud career that has seen O’Reilly earn a New Zealand Sires’ premiership, and sire 47 stakes winners, 26 group winners, and nine group I winners. His best include Champion Alamosa, The Jewel, Final Destination, Maco’Reilly, Swick, Guyno, Fellowship, and Shamrocker, a filly who won the Australian Guineas (gr. I, video below) in March before defeated colts again earlier this month to claim the Australian Derby (gr. I).

Pins (AUS) (TrueNicks) is the leading son of Champion 2-Year-Old and Sprinter Snippets, and gained a group I triumph when defeating Freemason for the VRC Cadbury Guineas (gr. I). Pins is the sire of 37 stakes winners, 21 group, and six group I. Among his best are El Segundo, whose four group I victories include the W. S. Cox Plate (gr. I); Filly of the Year Katie Lee, who completed a unique double of wins in the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (gr. I) and 2,000 Guineas (gr. I); New Zealand Oaks (gr. I) heroine Legs; and Caulfield Guineas (gr. I) victor Enconsul. Pins’ latest star is Ambitious Dragon, four-for-four in 2011, with his most recent outings bringing triumphs in the Hong Kong Classic Cup (gr. I) and Hong Kong Derby (video below).

Arriving at Waikato for the 2011 breeding season is shuttle sire Paco Boy (IRE) (TrueNicks). A world-class miler – he was rated Champion Older Miler in Great Britain – Paco Boy was blessed with a remarkable turn of foot that brought him triumphs in the Queen Anne Stakes (gr. I) at Royal Ascot, the Lockinge Stakes (gr. I), and the Prix de la Foret (gr. I). Paco Boy actually ended his career with no less than eight group race victories, and was second or third in four other group I events. Paco Boy comes from a male-line that has more than proven its worth in New Zealand, as he is by Desert Style, a son of Green Desert (also sire of Volksraad, Cape Cross, Oasis Dream, and Invincible Spirit), who is responsible for five group I winners.

No Excuse Needed (GB) (TrueNicks) is a top-class European miler by Machiavellian, also the sire of Street Cry. Winner of the Queen Anne Stakes (gr. II) at Royal Ascot – now a group I event – he also took the Celebration Mile (gr. II) and Vintage Stakes (gr. II). No Excuse Needed has 10 stakes winners in his first four crops, including Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Daffodil, successful in the AJC Australian Oaks (gr. I), Windsor Park Plate (gr. I), and CJC 1,000 Guineas (gr. I); group winners Take the Rap and Grand Dancer; and the Karaka Million scorer Vincent Mangano.

The well-credentialed Savabeel (AUS) (TrueNicks) is a son of Zabeel and the New Zealand Oaks (gr. I) victress Savanah Success. He proved his quality at the track with wins in a particularly hotly-contested renewal of the W. S. Cox Plate (gr. I) and the AJC Spring Champion Stakes (gr. I), as well as seconds in VRC Derby (gr. I) and C. F. Orr Stakes (gr. I), and a third in the AJC Champagne Stakes (gr. I). With his third crop only 2, Savabeel has sired six stakes scorers, including the Moonee Valley Oaks (gr. II) winner My Emotion; the promising Do Ra Mi, winner recently of the A. V. Kewney Stakes (gr. II); Kudaklari, successful in the Fernhill Stakes; and current 2-year-old Savabill, winner of the Matamata Slipper.

Redoute’s Choice is fast making a name for himself as a sire of sires, with such as Stratum, Snitzel, and Not A Single Doubt, and the Redoute’s Choice branch of Danehill is represented at Waikato by freshman Fast 'N' Famous (AUS) (TrueNicks). A sprint specialist, Fast ‘N’ Famous won six consecutive races, including the Starlight Stakes and Gilgai Stakes (gr. III), and was also second in The Galaxy (gr. I) and fourth in the All-Aged Stakes (gr. I) and BTC Cup (gr. I). Fast ‘N’ Famous is out of the three-time stakes-winning Zabeel mare Zalina, herself a three-parts-sister to stakes-winning and group I-placed Altrista, and half sister to group winner Alinsky. The second dam, Alynda, won the ARC Railway Handicap (gr. I), and the fourth dam is a sister to Sovereign Edition, this also being the family of Smokey Eyes.

Rios (NZ) (TrueNicks) is a rare item, as he’s the first son of the sensational Mr. Prospector sire Hussonet to retire to stud in New Zealand. After a dominant career in South America – where he sired 24 group I winners and was a multiple Champion Sire – Hussonet was brought to Australia and proved his worth with the likes of Champion Weekend Hussler, and group I winners Reaan and Gold Trail. Rios was also among the best of his sire’s Australian-sired offspring, showing himself to be a high-class miler with a win in the Wellington Guineas (gr. II), and places in the New Zealand 2,000 Guineas (gr. I) and STC Tulloch Stakes (gr. II). A half brother to Australian Derby (gr. I) hero Roman Emperor, Rios is out of Gussy Godiva (by the tremendously influential Last Tycoon), a half sister to Black Mamba, a New Zealand-bred who captured the John C. Mabee Stakes (gr. I) while racing in the U.S. The granddam, Sneetch, is a group winner and group I-placed, and is half sister to Fleur de Chine, a group winner who produced the Australasian Oaks (gr. I) victress Tully Thunder.

Scaredee Cat (NZ) (TrueNicks) is a fast and precocious son of the Storm Cat horse Tale of the Cat, himself a Champion Sire of 2-Year-Olds in the U.S. At 2, Scaredee Cat took the MRC Debutante Stakes, the first black type race of the season in Melbourne, and at 3 he added the Ascot Vale Stakes (gr. II) and was also first past the post in the Vain Stakes. A horse who is demonstrating a good winners-to-runners percentage with his first two crops, Scaredee Cat has already been represented by 2011 U.S. graded stakes-placed performer Dahoud, and stakes-placed Cat Woman.

Filed under: Announcements, Sires, New Zealand

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