News

Game Over for Zabeel

16th Dec 2013

*Breednet - Tara Madgwick - Monday, 16 December 2013

Sir Patrick Hogan has announced today from his Cambridge Stud in New Zealand that champion sire Zabeel will be retired from service at age 27.

"It’s the end of an era and what a ride it’s been for Cambridge Stud,” Sir Patrick Hogan said. "I could never have imagined what Sir Tristram was able to achieve and pretty well immediately afterwards came Zabeel to take over the mantle – it ’s been an amazing 33-year run.

"He’s been an extraordinary horse with three Melbourne Cup winners and four Cox Plate winners and as a sire of sires he’s left a horse like Reset, who has produced a VRC Derby winner (Rebel Raider), a Caulfield Cup winner (Fawkner) and a Cox Plate winner (Pinker Pinker).”

Trained by Colin Hayes for his first two seasons and then David Hayes at four, Zabeel raced for Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum and won seven of his 19 starts and $1.13 million.

He won five stakes, notably the Group I Australian Guineas (1600m) and the Group II Craiglee Stakes (1600m) at four.

Zabeel retired to stud in 1991.

Since then he has been the champion sire in New Zealand four times, the champion sire in Australia twice and has headed the broodmare sire list twice in Australia and New Zealand , his daughters producing superstars such as Atlantic Jewel and It’s a Dundeel.

"I might be biased and the Australians may disagree but in my time, and I’m 74, I can’t identify a horse in the last 50-odd years that has been as successful as him,” Hogan added.

From 1389 of offspring to race, Zabeel has sired 1007 winners with 148 stakes winners and worldwide earnings in excess of $170 million.

His 43 Group I winners include the likes of Octagonal, Might And Power, Efficient, Sky Heights, Vengeance Of Rain, Maldivian, Savabeel, the unbeaten Reset and Jezabeel.

Zabeel had been covering smaller books of mares due to decreased fertility but he was still active in 2013 at a fee of $NZ100,000.

Sir Patrick Hogan led his first yearling into the Trentham sale ring in 1956 and he has plans to be at the head of the final Zabeel to grace a sale in 2015.

"Zabeel’s last crop is four fillies, and I shouldn’t imagine that they will be sold, and a colt and I own that one with a partner and he will be the last yearling ever sold at auction,” he said.

"He will be the last one presented in 2015 and, God willing and I’m standing up I will lead him through the ring.”

The colt is a half-brother to the Group I Easter Handicap winner Time Keeper, who topped the New Zealand Three-Year-Old Free Handicap of his year.