Toronado Leads Swettenham Roster; Savabeel On Top Of Waikato’s Team

[Wandering Eyes]

In Australasian stallion news, Swettenham Stud and Waikato Stud revealed their 2025 rosters and fees on Wednesday, while Group 1 winner Schwarz (Aus) will stand at Rosemont Stud after his run in the upcoming G1 Doomben 10,000.

Leading Swettenham's roster is former shuttle stallion and now permanent Southern Hemisphere resident Toronado (Ire), who will stand for an unchanged fee of A$88,000 this season. The leading active sire based in Victoria, the son of High Chaparral (Ire) was one of only two Australian stallions ranked among the world's top five sires for winners in 2024. Besides siring an A$1 million yearling at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, Toronado's runners have been performing well despite being sired at a fee of A$27,500 or less, barring his current crop of juveniles who were sired at A$49,500.

“The quality of mares that he has served has gone up a level, and this year's yearlings were the first of his progeny conceived off the higher service fee,” said Swettenham's Marcus Heritage.

“It was great to see him have his first million-dollar yearling this year. He is so well received across the board, he is hugely desired in the Asian market, but also local trainers and breeders want his progeny, he is a high-class stallion, and he deserves the success he is getting.”

Swettenham also stands Wootton Bassett (GB)'s Wooded (Ire), who was a Group 1-winning sprinter in Europe. Already the sire of 20 winners from his first crop in the Northern Hemisphere, the dark bay also has a group winner to his credit in Woodshauna (Fr). His fee has been reduced to A$16,500 (inc GST).

“Being a son of Wootton Bassett can only be positive after the way he started with his first Australian crop, and he is the only son of Wootton Bassett in Australia, although I'm sure that will change with time,” said Heritage.

Waikato Kingpin Continues His Reign

Anchoring the Waikato roster is multiple champion New Zealand sire Savabeel (Aus), who will stand for an unchanged fee of NZ$100,000. He is over NZ$2.7 million ahead of his nearest rivals on the current New Zealand General Sires' List and appears to be poised to collect his 10th sire title. The son of Zabeel (NZ) will be inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame this May.

In the 2024/2025 season, he's sired two new Group 1 winners, bringing his total to 35 individual top-level winners, on top of Atishu (NZ), who was already a seasoned Group 1 winner scoring at that level again. His ratio of stakes winners to runners is 11.1% and his group winners to runners ratio is 7.3%. He also sired his highest-priced yearling ever–a NZ$2.4 million filly this season.

“He deserves every accolade, and we are very proud of everything he's done and is doing for the New Zealand industry,” said Chittick. “He has great vitality and we're heading into the season with a bright, happy and healthy horse–the only thing we will avoid breeding this year at his age is maidens.”

Receiving a hefty fee boost to NZ$75,000, Super Seth (Aus) is now the sire of three Group 1 winners this season from just two crops of racing age–Australian Guineas winner Feroce (NZ), Linebacker (NZ) won the Randwick Guineas, and La Dorada (NZ) won the Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes. Super Seth boasts a stakes winners to runners strike rate of 8%, with his yearlings having sold for as much as NZ$700,000 in recent sales.

Due to the stallion's restricted nomination availability and exceptional demand, bookings will close by application at 5 p.m. (NZT) on Wednesday, June 4.

Chittick added, “An unbelievable stallion. I don't feel as though we have had a stallion start like this in New Zealand for a long time. Three Group 1 winners across two countries in a month is freakish, and he keeps backing up with Trans-Tasman winners every single week.”

Schwartz Coming Up Roses

A winner of the G1 William Reid Stakes, Schwarz will become the first A$1-million plus yearling and Group 1 weight-for-age-winning sprinter over distances of 1200 metres or less to head to stud in Australian in over a decade. The son of Group 2 winner Summer Sham (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) also won a trio of other group races and was bred by Widden Stud.

“We believe he's not only Zoustar's greatest, most successful son, but also his best-looking and indeed best-bred stallion,” said Rosemont bloodstock manager Ryan McEvoy.

“As an A$1.25 million Magic Millions purchase from a Group 2-winning daughter of Not A Single Doubt, who descends directly from the family of Redoute's Choice (Aus), he offers everything you'd want in a top-class stallion prospect; type, sire-line, pedigree, attitude, and Group 1-winning speed.”

His fee will be on a price-on-application basis with an official fee set after his final race, the Doomben 10,000 on May 17.

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