Fee Set for Cool Aza Beel

Newhaven Park has announced their Group I winning son of Savabeel, Cool Aza Beel (NZ), will stand his first season at a fee of $16,500 (inc GST).

Cool Aza Beel, a winner of the Group I Sistema Stakes and the Karaka Million for trainer Jamie Richards and Te Akau Racing, will stand at Newhaven Park in 2021 alongside young stallion Xtravagant (NZ), who remains at his existing price of $11,000 (inc GST).

Newhaven Park Principal John Kelly has been thrilled with the response from breeders in regards to Cool Aza Beel.

"We’ve been really pleased with the response we have got. He's got a very good syndicate behind him that have taken shares in the horse and we are receiving quite an amount of enquiry about bookings to him. We are over the moon with that," he said.

"I think being out of a fast Australian family and being such a good 2-year-old, and then having the attraction of Savabeel, really helps.

“Savabeel is a six time champion sire and he is doing such a great job both in Australia and New Zealand."

Backing up Cool Aza Beel's efforts on the racetrack is a pedigree featuring the famed 'Tennesee family' which most Australian breeders will find familiar.

His dam, Cool 'N' Sassy, is out of a half-sister to Group I VRC Sprint Classic winner Malaguerra and another half-sister is Tennessee Midnight, the stakes-winning dam of Group I winner Aloha, grand-dam of Group 1 performed Libertini and great-grand-dam of Group I Champagne Stakes winner Seabrook.

"If you look at his pedigree, he's by Savabeel and out of Testa Rossa mare. She's out of a Red Ransom mare who is in turn out of Bletchingly mare. They are the three strains we want to use with these Snitzel, Not A Single Doubt mares and the daughters of every Danehill-line stallion," Kelly said.

"If you go and look at the statistics of all the nicks around those lines, they are fantastic. That's what really attracted us to him. The whole package. His sireline and his female line will be pretty appealing to most broodmare owners in Australia."

Backing that up, according to Kelly, is a stallion who has the physique to match.

"He has that presence about him. He's 16 hands, he's strong, and he's got a lovely head and hip on him. He's a great mover and our experience would be that most stallions produce what they are. If he does that, he's going to produce really attractive foals and hopefully they can turn into good racehorses," he said.

Xtravagant Stocks on the Rise

A dual Group I winning son on Pentire (GB), Xtravagant enters his fifth season at Newhaven Park having recently sired his first winner with the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained He's Xceptional at Cranbourne.

Also placed twice at metropolitan level, He's Xceptional has proven the flagbearer to date for Xtravagant's first crop of 2-year-olds.    

"Obviously, being by Pentire out of Zabeel mare, he was never going to have crack early 2-year-olds, but he has had seven starters and had a winner. He's had a couple of placegetters as well," Kelly said of the stallion.

"Every trainer who has got them likes them and if you watch all of his horses, they all finish their races off. We are very hopeful that as we get into the late part of their 2-year-old careers and the spring of their 3-year-old season, they will really come to the fore."

Xtravagant has had consistently strong books though his four seasons at stud, and his two crops through the yearling sales have proven quite popular. They averaged $66,994 across 43 sales in 2020 and then $52,550 across 20 sales in 2021 to date.

Significantly the median price for his progeny has gone up from his first crop to his second crop., from $40,000 to $42,500.

"We've been really happy with the way the people who bought them last year have come back and bought them this year. We can only take positives out of that," he said.