Run The Numbers - A Cool reminder of Zabeel’s influence

Newhaven Park’s Cool Aza Beel became the first sire-son descendant of Zabeel to produce a Group 1-winning two-year-old from his first crop. Run The Numbers looks at the ongoing influence of the Zabeel sireline, as well as a prodigious damline influence in Cool Archie’s JJ Atkins win.

Cool Archie became only the second Australian two-year-old this decade to claim four stakes races with his JJ Atkins triumph. (Photo: By Bronwen Healy. The Image is Everything – Bronwen Healy Photography)

As a four-time champion sire of New Zealand and two-time champion in Australia – the only Kiwi-bred sire since 1906 to achieve that honour – Zabeel was always set to have a rich legacy in Australasian breeding.

But as we approach the 10th anniversary of his death, and mark 30 years since his first crop hit the track, it is interesting to note that there are only nine of his sireline descendants at stud in Australia in 2025 and a further nine in New Zealand.

We discussed the sireline legacy of his grandson Lonhro earlier this year, revealing four of his sons or grandsons, Pierro, Denman, Sweynesse and Exosphere, have, like Lonhro himself, now gone on to be Group 1 producers at stud.

In terms of Zabeel’s descendants, we also examined Lonhro’s sire Octagonal, his brother Colombia, close relatives Don Eduardo, Zed and Eighth Wonder, American-bred Grey’s Inn and unbeaten Australian star Reset as Group 1-producing sons of Zabeel, along with Savabeel, his most successful son.

Savabeel may be a soon-to-be 10-time champion NZ stallion, and producer of 35 individual Group 1 winners, but until Saturday, did not have a Group 1-producing son at stud himself.

Cool Aza Beel, the Kiwi-bred Group 1 winning-two-year-old from a fast Australian female family, who is making a considerable mark with his first crop from Newhaven Park, claimed that honour thanks to the Chris and Corey Munce trained Cool Archie in the JJ Atkins Stakes at Eagle Farm.

One of only three Group 1-winning two-year-olds for Savabeel himself, Cool Aza Beel has now become the first sireline descendant of Zabeel to produce a Group 1 two-year-old winner in his first crop.

Zabeel did it himself with Octagonal, but at the same early stage of their careers, Cool Aza Beel is actually tracking at a higher trajectory than his legendary grandsire. Zabeel had four two-year-old winners in his first crop, while Cool Aza Beel has five.

That mark is also superior to his own sire Savabeel, who had two first-crop juvenile winners at this point of the season, including one stakes winner, as well as Lonhro (four winners, one SW), Pierro (four winners, one SW), Reset (four winners and two SW) and Octagonal (three winners, two stakes winners),

The only sire descendant of Zabeel with more two-year-old winners to this point of his career was Denman, who had six, including three stakes winners.

Sireline descendants of Zabeel to have produced Group 1 winners

Stallion	Runners	Winners	SWs	G1w
Savabeel	1372	1009	151	35
Lonhro	1520	1094	97	13
Pierro	735	526	39	6
Reset	841	536	36	5
Octagonal	891	539	25	4
Zed	372	207	19	3
Greys Inn	355	180	8	3
Colombia	213	105	11	2
Exosphere	239	152	10	1
Don Eduardo	368	184	12	1
Denman	673	467	18	1
Sweynesse	202	102	7	1
Eighth Wonder	44	16	1	1
Cool Aza Beel	19	6	1	1

The success of Cool Archie, only the second Australian two-year-old this decade after Broadsiding to win four stakes races, is an important one for Newhaven Park as it also stands the only other son of Savabeel in Australia, Mo’unga, whose first foals arrive this spring.

It is also historic in another way, as Cool Aza Beel is the first New Zealand Group 1-winning two-year-old to then sire an Australian elite two-year-old winner this century.

He also joins Dundeel, Brutal, Starcraft and Marauding as the only NZ-bred sires to have produced an Australian Group 1 winning juvenile since 2000. Although the recent trend is more significant, with Kiwi-bred stallions having been successful in four of the past 13 Australian Group 1 two-year-old races.

Of course, it would be unfair not to point out that Cool Aza Beel’s sire and dam are both Australian-bred horses who spent their entire racing career on this side of the Tasman.

Cool Archie himself also has a long Australian damline to lean upon, going back to his fourth dam Bravery, a champion of the Queensland carnival herself in 1988, when she won both the Queensland Oaks and Queensland Derby.

A further six dams back on that line is the extraordinarily influential French mare La Troienne. Cool Archie is the 193rd global Group 1 winner descending from this blue hen.

They include at least 13 who won Group 1 races in Australia, with Cool Archie joining recent winners such as Artorius, Southport Tycoon, Dunkel, Jungle Magnate and Chain Of Lightning.

Next year marks the centenary of La Troienne’s birth, yet her legacy is still building with Artorius and Southport Tycoon, and perhaps one day Cool Archie, her Australian-bred direct at stud in Australia.

Among previously influential stallions in Australasia to carry a direct dam lineage back to La Troienne are More Than Ready, Belong To Me, Woodman, Rhythm, Noble Bijou, Yamanin Vital and Hula Chief.

Recent Australasian Group 1 winners descended from La Troienne on their damline