Golden family continues to shine brightly
Paul Vettise • January 5th, 2026 3:56 PM
Waikato Stud-bred filly La Dorada continues to add further honours to her richly decorated family.
The daughter of resident sire Super Seth enjoyed an outstanding juvenile season with success in the Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m), Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) and Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).
At Trentham on Saturday, she returned to top form with success in the Gr.2 Levin Classic (1400m), with the $1.5 million TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) now in the sights of trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson.
La Dorada was a $190,000 purchase for Te Akau’s David Ellis out of Waikato Stud’s Karaka draft and is a daughter of the Savabeel mare Gold Fever, whose dam Gold Rocks initiated the Matamata farm’s involvement in the family.
“Gold Rocks was a two-year-old Group winner, and she came to Waikato Stud under the ownership of some lovely people from Australia, Geoff and Heather Nicholls,” Mark Chittick said.
“She was in foal to So You Think and unbeknown to me had been to Lonhro first off and they were unable to pay that service fee.
“That foal was taken over by Godolphin and raced as Calverite and was a stakes winner as a two-year-old and subsequently left Golden Mile (Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas, 1600m).”
Chittick was subsequently contacted by another breeding and racing powerhouse about Gold Rocks.
“I got a call from Coolmore and the service fee to So You Think hadn’t been paid so I had a yarn to the owners,” he said.
“They knew they had a mare worth breeding from but were a bit out of their depth, they said all we would love to do is to go to Savabeel but couldn’t really afford to carry on.
“We came to an arrangement whereby I paid the fee to So You Think, I didn’t have any ownership in that foal and then the mare went to Savabeel.
“They had a 10 percent ownership in the foal, which was sold, and then I took over the ownership of the mare. It’s a phenomenal family.”
The So You Think foal was Gold Rush and later sold by Phoenix Park to Wexford Stables for $60,000 and won the Matamata Breeders’ Stakes and placed in the Gr.1 Diamond Stakes (1200m) and Gr.3 Eclipse Stakes (1200m).
The aforementioned Savabeel filly was Gold Fever, who was offered on behalf of Waikato Stud by Sledmere at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and purchased by Ellis for A$110,000.
“She won the Matamata Breeders’ Stakes as well and at that stage, Gold Rocks had three foals and all were stakes-winning fillies as two-year-olds,” Chittick said.
“At the end of her career, (father) Garry and I purchased Gold Fever back off Te Akau in a private deal.”
Following La Dorada, she produced a son of Tivaci who was sold for A$160,000 to Yulong at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale and as Golden Pulse has been a winner.
The stud has retained a yearling filly by Ardrossan, and the mare is now back in foal to Super Seth.
It is also the family of Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) winner Major Beel, a son of Savabeel who was sold at the Gold Coast to Gai Waterhouse, Adrian Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds for A$260,000 with Waikato Stud remaining in the ownership.
His sister Solid Gold has been retained by the Matamata nursery and has placed in both starts for Roger James and Robert Wellwood.
“She was one we wanted to target for our slot in The NZB Kiwi, but unfortunately we had to take a chip out of a joint and she’ll be back in work in the next two or three weeks,” Chittick said.
