Waikato Stud's Chittick family has been breeding, rearing, and developing elite racehorses at its Matamata property since the 1990s with a cavalcade of outstanding stallions going back to champion sire Centaine.
Multiple champion New Zealand sires O'Reilly and Pins followed and Waikato Stud's current roster loses nothing on that score with 10-time champion sire Savabeel continuing the world-renowned Sir Tristram-Zabeel sire line in 2026.
General manager Mike Rennie released this year's roster and service fees April 8, offering breeders proven performance, emerging momentum, and genuine depth across the board through Savabeel, his sire son Noverre, Ardrossan, Ocean Park, Banquo, and the exciting group 1-winning recruit Return to Conquer.
Savabeel was inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame in 2025. He has made an extraordinary contribution to the Australasian industry and, this year, his book will be private with Waikato Stud and his loyal shareholders the only breeders with access to the breed-shaping influence.
"He's closing in on Zabeel's record of 166 stakes winners and we're confident he will get there," Rennie said. "And that will be another major milestone to tick off for Sav."
Rennie has been based at Waikato Stud since 2018 and he played an integral role in the successful career of 2019 Caulfield Guineas (G1) winner Super Seth alongside the Chittick family and the Waikato Stud team. Now they will help lay the foundations for the career of another exciting addition to Waikato Stud's stallion roster in Return to Conquer.
In an unbeaten four-race career, the son of Snitzel scored at stakes level only, landing the 2024 Counties Challenge Stakes, 2025 Colin Jillings 2YO Classic (G3), 2025 Matamata Slipper (G3), and 2025 Sistema Stakes (G1)—recouping more than AU$530,000 of his AU$1.3 million purchase price in the process.
Return to Conquer will stand for AU$15,000.
Ardrossan, the group-winning son of Redoute's Choice, looks poised to soar after his biggest yearling crop to date sold to AU$450,000 at the majors in 2026. He had 17 yearlings make six figures while 60% of his New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale draft was secured by international buyers.
Ardrossan has already produced two stakes performers from his current juvenile crop in De Armas and Butler Cabin and he will stand this season for AU$20,000.
Ocean Park has had a watershed season producing 78 individual winners for 10 stakes performers including two group 1 horses. A five-time group 1 winner in Australia and New Zealand, his racing career was underpinned by consistency and his stud career has produced 379 winners of 1,038 races across distances from 1,200 meters (about 6 furlongs) to 3,200 meters (about 2 miles). He has sired five individual group 1 winners with 26 black-type winners overall.
Ocean Park was renowned for his remarkable toughness and enduring soundness; qualities which have been passed to his progeny. He will stand for AU$15,000.
Noverre is the sire of first-crop autumn 2-year-olds, but Waikato Stud believes we will start to see his progeny make a mark as 3-year-olds. At the 2026 yearling sales, trainers continued to have confidence in him with Peter Moody going to AU$200,000, while other trainers included Lindsay Park, Grahame Begg, and Wexford Stables.
Noverre will stand for AU$10,000 this season.
Banquo is a stallion who is having to prove himself the hard way. From seven runners, he has produced three winners, including the group 3-winning 2-year-old Justin Case who, from four starts, has won twice and ran fourth in the Sistema Stakes.
Banquo will stand for an increased fee of AU$5,000.
