New Zealand Hall of Fame stallion Savabeel’s nine-year hold on the Centaine Award has been broken by the pride of the Wairarapa, Per Incanto.
The Little Avondale Stud star has achieved worldwide progeny earnings of more than $20 million in the 2024-25 season, giving him a comfortable buffer over Savabeel ($17.85 million) in the Centaine standings.
Waikato Stud supremo Savabeel continues his dominance of the Grosvenor and Dewar Awards for New Zealand and Australasian progeny earnings, collecting his 10th and ninth title respectively.
Per Incanto’s award-winning season has been underpinned by a career-best year across the Tasman. He has risen to 15th on the Australian sires’ premiership with over A$10.7 million in progeny earnings, with 46 winners from 91 runners. Group 1 stars Jimmysstar and Gringotts have been backed up by Group 2 victories by Evaporate, Marble Arch and Belclare.
Per Incanto is also in the top five on the New Zealand premiership with 35 winners and total stakes of $2.3 million, while he netted another top-10 finish in Hong Kong with 11 winners and HK$25.9 million.
“It’s a massive achievement,” Masterton-based Little Avondale principal Sam Williams said.
“We’re only starting to see the better-pedigreed horses from his seasons at a higher service fee coming through now, and he’s gone and taken the Centaine Award off Savabeel.
“Savabeel’s been our champion sire for close to a decade now, so to take this award off him is just a very proud moment for everyone here at Little Avondale, as well as for Per Incanto’s shareholders and the whole syndicate behind him."
