Date posted March 25, 2009 | Posted by Michele Cullen | Filed under
Racing and Breeding One of New Zealand’s leading thoroughbred nurseries has announced significant reductions in service fees for some off the regions best-credentialled stallions.
Waikato Stud, the home of such stallions as O’Reilly and Pins, will drop service fees by as much as 30 per cent.
O’Reilly, whose 2009 fee has been set at NZ$50,000, currently shares the top Australasian spot with Encosta de Lago as this season’s leading producer of Group winners with 10 apiece and is second on the Group 1 sires’ table.
O’Reilly has left 12 individual stakes winners already this term with Alamosa (Toorak Handicap), Swick (VRC Classic) and MacO’Reilly (NZ Stakes, Whakanui Stud International Stakes) heading his Group 1 list.
O’Reilly will serve a limited book of 120 mares this season with 70 outside spots available and the son of Last Tycoon’s popularity is again evident. “About half those places have already been booked,” said Waikato’s Gary Chittick.
Fees for associate stallions have been set with Pins at $40,000 + gst (was $50,000 + gst); Savabeel $20,000 + gst (was $30,000 + gst); Fast ‘N’ Famous $10,000 + gst (was $15,000 + gst) and Scaredee Cat $6500 + gst (was $8,000 + gst). No Excuse Needed, sire of the NZ Filly of the Year Daffodil (Gr. 1 NZ 1000 Guineas) will remain at $12,000 + gst.
“No Excuse Needed represents great value at that fee for what he has achieved in a relatively brief career,” Chittick said.
He has also left stakes winners Takeanotherchance (Wanganui Guineas), Miss Millbrook (Dunedin Guineas) and Lesley Brook (Welcome Stakes) this term.
Group 2 winners Megapins (Wellington Cup) and Pinsoir (Concorde Handicap) have flown the Pins flag in 2008-09 along with the Gr.3 winner Katie Lee (Eclipse Stakes) and the Listed winners Tootsie (Te Rapa Sprint), Raid (Lion Red Plate) and Bella Valentina (Listed Durbridge Plate).
“We feel we are offering breeders fantastic opportunities to breed to an exciting array of stallions both proven and with foals coming through at very competitive prices,” Chittick said.
“Breeders can go forward with confidence off the back of past books of both quality and quantity the stallions have all served.”
