Probabeel heads stellar evening for Te Akau

Media Release - Monday September 5

Outstanding mare Probabeel has joined an elite club with her second successive New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Award.

The now retired daughter of Savabeel, who is preparing for life as a broodmare, gained more than half of the 57 votes cast to retain her title.

Brendan and Jo Lindsay, owners of multiple Group One winner Probabeel, receive her New Zealand Thoroughbred Horse of the Year award from Racing Minister Kieran McAnulty (left). Photo: Nicole Troost

Probabeel again was named Horse of the Year at a function in Hamilton on Sunday evening and since the award was introduced in 1971 is the 10th horse to be a multiple winner.

Sunline took the title four times with Show Gate, Rough Habit, Xcellent, Seachange, Mufhasa, Mongolian Khan, Bonneval and Melody Belle the other dual winners.

Probabeel’s achievement headlined a stellar evening for the powerhouse Te Akau operation as she was also named Champion Middle-Distance performer and Imperatriz acknowledged as the Champion Three-Year-Old, Maven Belle the Champion Two-Year-Old and Belle En Rouge and Self Obsession were NZB Filly of the Year co-winners.

While Te Akau’s equine stars were honoured, so too were key past and present staff members.

Former Head Trainer Jamie Richards, now plying his trade in Hong Kong, was the Trainer of the Year having won the 2021/22 premiership, Joe Kamaruddin claimed the Apprentices’ Premiership and Nicole Shailer, now in the employ of current Te Akau trainer Mark Walker, was the Stablehand of the Year.

“We finished up with 10 awards and it was really well run by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and everybody seemed to have a great night,” Te Akau chief David Ellis said.

“I am incredibly proud of the whole Te Akau team, it was a very happy evening. We had a lot of our senior staff there and it was fantastic for them to see all of their hard work paying off.

“It’s not much fun working with horses at this time of the year when it’s cold and wet and they all do it because they love the horses. It was great for us all to get there together and celebrate.”

Probabeel was prepared at Matamata by Richards, but did all her racing in the 2021-22 season in Australia, as she had the previous year. She had three wins and a second from her six starts, all in Group company.

The Savabeel mare won the Gr.1 Might And Power Stakes (2000m) at the Melbourne spring carnival and beat subsequent Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) runner-up Nonconformist, with glamour galloper Zaaki third.

At her previous start, Probabeel had split Zaaki and Gr.1 Cantala Stakes (1600m) winner Superstorm in the Gr.1 Underwood Stakes (1800m).

Probabeel had begun her campaign by winning the Gr.3 Cockram Stakes (1200m) with 60kg and was beaten by just 1.2l when fifth in the Gr.1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m). At her only other spring start she also finished fifth in the Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m).

The mare then won the Gr.3 Geoffrey Belmaine Stakes (1200m) with 60kg when resuming in Melbourne in February, but suffered a ligament injury soon after and was retired from racing.

Probabeel, who earned $4.5 million in stakes and was raced by Cambridge Stud proprietors Brendan and Jo Lindsay, will be mated with the Cambridge Stud shuttle stallion Almanzor this year.

Probabeel was bred by Waikato Stud’s Garry Chittick and was a $380,000 buy for Ellis at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale. The Lindsays had been the underbidders at Karaka and subsequently bought her outright.

The Cambridge Stud principals also had a second Group One winner in Australia during the 2021-22 season, with Pinarello claiming the Queensland Derby (2400m) and they won the Owner of the Year award for the third successive time.

Their New Zealand-based team won 30 races and also included dual Group Three winner Sword of State and Karaka Million winner Dynastic.

Two-time Group One winner Imperatriz dominated the voting in the three-year-old section while stablemate Maven Belle was crowned Champion Two-Year-old.

Levante posted two wins, second and a fourth from her four starts in Group One company to be a clear winner in the Sprinter-Miler category.

The Chosen One, a Group One winner of the Thorndon Mile (1600m) also measured up to the leading Australian stayers and was named Champion Stayer for the third successive year.

He finished third in the weight-for-age Gr.1 Tancred Stakes (2400m), was runner-up in the Gr.2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) and fifth in the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m).

Central Districts trainer Kevin Myers, who has enjoyed a long and successful career, received the prestigious award for Outstanding Contribution to Racing and Paul O’Sullivan, who followed a stellar New Zealand career with a lengthy training stint in Hong Kong, earned the Outstanding Global Achievement award.

Full results:

Advertisement

SENZ NZ Horse of the Year: Probabeel (30 votes). Also: The Cossack (10), Levante (9), Imperatriz (5), Coventina Bay (1), Pinarello (1), Roch ‘N’ Horse (1).

NZTR Award for Outstanding Contribution to Racing: Kevin Myers.

NZTR Award for Outstanding Global Achievement: Paul O’Sullivan.

Champion Two-Year-Old: Maven Belle (51 votes). Other finalists: Dynastic (3), Wolverine (3), Lickety Split.

Champion Three-Year-Old: Imperatriz (48 votes). Other finalists: Noverre (3), Pinarello (3), La Crique (2), Belle En Rouge (1), Asterix, Self Obsession, Sword Of State, The Perfect Pink.

Champion Sprinter-Miler: Levante (44). Other finalists: Roch ‘N’ Horse (8), Entriviere (3), Callsign Mav (1), Two Illicit (1), Mascarpone.

Champion Middle Distance Horse: Probabeel (49). Other finalists: Coventina Bay (9), Savy Yong Blonk, Tiptronic.

Champion Stayer: The Chosen One (33). Other finalists: Concert Hall (22), Uareastar (3).

Champion Jumper:  The Cossack (54). Other finalists: Tallyho Twinkletoe (4), Argyll, No Tip, Te Kahu.

Jockey of the Year: Michael McNab (52).

Other finalists: Opie Bosson (5), Lisa Allpress, Craig Grylls.

Jumps Jockey of the Year: Shaun Phelan (only finalist).

Trainer of the Year – sponsored by Dunstan: Jamie Richards (only finalist).

Owner of the Year – sponsored by TAB NZ: Brendan & Jo Lindsay Partnership (40).

Other finalists: Trelawney Thoroughbreds (12), Joan Egan (2), Gerry Harvey (1), Valachi Downs (1), Waikato Stud (1), Archer Equine Investments, John & Jan Cassin, Markwood Lodge, Graeme Rogerson.

LOVERACING.NZ Award for Contribution in Media, Digital & Content: Aidan Rodley

Other Finalists: Cambridge Stud/Roger Laxon, Kirsty Lawrence.

NZ Stablehand of the Year – sponsored by New Zealand Equine Academy: Nicole Shailer (employed by Mark Walker). Other finalists: Caitlin Bills (Kevin Gray), Melissa Douglas (Sally McKay).

Jockeys’ Premiership: Michael McNab.

Trainers’ Premiership: Jamie Richards.

Owners’ Premiership: Brendan & Jo Lindsay.

Apprentice Jockeys’ Premiership: Joe Kamaruddin.

Newcomer To Training – sponsored by gavelhouse.com: Michael House.

NZB Filly of the Year: Belle En Rouge & Self Obsession.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Resolute Racing Purchase Top Lot Goffs Orby Day 1
The Goffs Orby Yearling Sale kicked off overnight and the top lot on Day 1 was a colt by Blue Point purchased by John Stewart’s Resolute Bloodstock for €675,000, while Wootton Bassett produced the top selling filly, whose half-brother Trinity College is now in Australia.
Evaporate Caps Off Great Week for Per Incanto
Evaporate crowned a stellar period for his sire across the Tasman when he produced a gallant performance to land the thick end of the stake in Saturday’s Gr.3 Sandown Stakes (1500m).
Jenni The Pride of Trelawney
Comeback mare Pride Of Jenni has given Trelawney Stud a number of reasons to look forward to the spring after a dashing victory in the Gr.2 Feehan Stakes (1600m) on Friday night.
Pedigree Potential –NZB Ready to Run – Nicks that Click
A quality packed catalogue for the 2025 NZB Ready to Run Sale is now online and in the lead up to the sale we’ll go looking each week for some horses of interest that jump out on pedigree for various reasons.
Golden Rose Brings Second Season Shake Up
We are two months into a new racing season and the second season sires table was given a good shake up over the weekend with the $1million Group I Golden Rose and $300,000 Group II Stutt Stakes both producing a quinella for sires in this cohort.
Satono’s Stunning Stats Continue as Rich Hill Sires Shine
Rich Hill Stud’s Group 1 stallion roster was the dominant force at Te Rapa’s premier meeting with their progeny claiming a feature race double.
Tara Talks Racing - Insights from a Legend - Darren Beadman
Beiwacht upstaged his more fancied rivals to win the $1million Group I ATC Golden Rose last Saturday in course record breaking style to become the hottest colt in Australia giving us the opportunity to chat to a legend that has been very much involved in his story so far.
New Stakes-Winner for Star Aussie Mare Sea Siren
Aussie bred Fastnet Rock mare Sea Siren has certainly made her mark both on the racetrack where she was a triple Group I winner and at stud with her produce record is headed by triple Group I winner Warm Heart and over the weekend she produced another stakes-winner and he won the richest race in Poland.
Petrol in the Tank – Why Buying Mares from Godolphin is a Good Idea
From the point of view of the bloodstock world, Beiwacht was the most significant winner from last weekend with his Group I Golden Rose victory propelling his sire Bivouac to the top of the second season sires list, but it wasn’t just Godolphin cheering him home with a number of other Aussie breeders now invested in his family.
Pedigree Watch – G1 European 2YO
Juveniles took centre stage overnight in the UK and Ireland with a pair of Group I races decided at Newmarket in the Middle Park Stakes (6f) for the colts and Cheveley Park Stakes (6f) for the fillies, while at The Curragh a field of 30 lined up in the Goffs Million, the richest 2YO race in Europe.