Savabeel: Finding his Calling

There were high expectations for Savabeel when he retired to Waikato Stud in 2005. A Cox Plate winner and group one placed at two, the son of Zabeel was seen in many quarters as the much awaited heir apparent to his champion sire.

While the emergence of Lohnro over the last two years has spared Savabeel the pressure of carrying the mantle of the Zabeel lineage, Savabeel's own results make for an interesting analysis, particularly when considering where they now position him in our stallion market and how they evaluate alongside the careers of two other Zabeel sire sons in Reset and Don Eduardo.

Given his pedigree breeders were always going to be slightly more forgiving than usual, however with his oldest progeny about to turn four at the conclusion of the 2009/10 season and just a solitary group winner on his resume in the form of the filly My Emotion, Savabeel's future was under intense scrutiny from breeders faced with any number of alternative options. The 2010 Karaka Sale rather told the story, when on the back of a booming market buyers deserted his progeny, with only passings halting a more significant average drop from the 2009 Sale.

Things begun looking up in November last year when his three-year-old fillies Lady Kipling and Placement ran third in group one races on either side of the Tasman respectively, and his son Digital Fortress ran a close fourth in the VRC Derby. Since then the winners haven't stopped and interestingly they haven't been confined to his oldest four-year-old progeny either with more Pattern performances from his three-year-olds highlighted by Do Ri Ma's victory in a strong rendition of the Group Two Kewney, and locally via a most promising two-year-old Savabill who capped some good form with a win in the Listed Fairview Ford Slipper at Matamata.

However it's two three-year-olds who have had their share of problems, one mental, the other physical, who could be well take Savabeel's profile to a new level over the next couple of months - more than likely at the Queensland Winter Carnival. Kudakulari, a horse rated highly by the Bart Cummings stable from day one, returned from a spell after been gelded, to win the Listed Canberra Guineas last week and Scarlett Lady, who had an operation for a bone chip after running fourth in the Royal Stakes, showed her class and staying potential with a storming finish to beat a strong field fresh-up at Ellerslie on Saturday.

To date there doesn't look to be any discernible affinity to particular broodmare bloodlines bringing success Savabeel's way but what is becoming apparent is the tendency for the physical makeup of his better progeny to be stronger and more robust than is the norm for his stock. Throwing more to his dam sire Success Express than Zabeel, Savabeel has largely stamped his progeny, leaving an athletic but lighter boned type - particularly beneath the knee - and without the strength, particularly through the girth, gaskin and crop of many of the better Zabeel's.

The clues lie in the dam sires of five of his six stakes winners: My Emotion (Rory's Jester); Do Ra Mi (Snippets); Kudakulari (O'Reilly); Savabill (Desert Sun) and Warrentherooster (Pompei Court). On type these five all exhibit considerably more of their dam sire and although in O'Reilly's case, he can leave a range of types, from personal inspection Kudakulari throws to the rangier and stronger group.

Don Eduardo who was the first of the Zabeel trio to retire to stud in 2003 has a stakeswinner to named foals (233) ratio of 3.4%; Reset, to stud a year later, just 2.5% from named foals and Savabeel to stud in 2005, also 3.4% from 179 named foals. While it's hardly a percentage in the league of his own sire (9.1%) or Redoutes Choice (7.9%), it's a figure which has the potential to appreciate over the next 12 months through the likes of Scarlett Lady, Placement, Digital Fortress, Dowager Queen, Mother's Milk and co.

With one of the strongest shareholding registers seen in a NZ stallion and the support of Waikato Stud, Savabeel has always had a level of support most studmasters only dream of. Testimony to that support was last season where for the first time Sababeel served less than 120 mares but still posted a more than respectable 85 services at a time when the knives were well and truly being sharpened.

Assessment: As a son of Zabeel, early expectations at stud were probably ill founded despite his Pattern form as a juvenile, although interestingly his improving record at stud is not necessarily supported by the form of his four-year-olds - Savabeel's oldest crop. Has served far superior quality books of mares to contemporary Don Eduardo and even allowing for his recent results, it's extremely hard to see how he can be warrant triple the service fee of the Haunui stallion. Somewhat of a cliche but the next six months will tell the story. Best results require careful broodmare selection especially as to type.