Sir Patrick Hogan has rated Might And Power the best horse produced by his famous sire Zabeel whose stud career has been brought to an end by infertility.
The proprietor of New Zealand’s Cambridge Stud announced on Monday that none of the 30 mares the 27-year-old served in 2013 had become pregnant, bringing the curtain down on a remarkable career.
A son of the record-breaking Sir Tristram, the foundation sire at Cambridge, Zabeel has so far produced 43 individual Group One winners, just two shy of his father,
“Its the end of an era and what a ride it’s been for Cambridge Stud,” 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.”
“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.
“If I had to be on the panel of judges then I would put Might And Power on top.
“It was just the way he raced with that great cruising speed that won him a Caulfield Cup, the Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup. I’d put him in front with Octagonal a close second.
Octagonal was from the first crop of Zabeel who was trained by Colin Hayes to win the 1990 Australian Guineas.
Out of the grand mare Eight Carat, Octagonal won 11 Group One races including the Sydney three-year-old triple crown.
Might And Power (1997) was one of three Melbourne Cup winners so far for Zabeel, the other two Jezabeel (1998) and Efficient (2007).
Sir Tristram also produced three Melbourne Cup winners – Gurners Lane (1982), Empire Rose (1988) and Brew (2000).
“I’ve been fortunate and I’m very proud that the two horses have done so much for myself, my family, all concerned at Cambridge Stud and everybody that has had a Sir Tristram or Zabeel around them. It’s been mind-boggling,” Hogan said.
He said Zabeel would now live a life of luxury in the same paddock he has occupied since his retirement to stud in 1991.
“He is enormously fit, both physically and mentally and you wouldn’t pick there was anything wrong with him,” Hogan said.
“He had 30-odd mares this season and when he came to the end of serving he hadn’t got any in foal so he is officially retired.
“The fertility just hasn’t happened, but he’s a horse that’s not going to go away and his progeny in New Zealand and Australia will continue to perform for many years to come.
Zabeel has also become the leading Australasian broodmare sire with his daughters producing the trifecta in this year’s Underwood Stakes – It’s A Dundeel, Atlantic Jewel and Dear Demi.
