Barney's deeds off the racetrack at Stud far outweighed anything he achieved on it, and he wasn't a half bad racehorse

Zabeel sired three Melbourne Cup winners - Might and Power, Jezabeel and Efficient, which made him the most potent staying sire before and after the new century. Zabeel won seven races, including the Moonee Valley Stakes in 1989, the Australian Guineas, the Alister Clark Stakes, and the Craiglee Stakes in 1990. But, while he was a high class winning horse, it is the horses he sired that are considered his greatest achievement: four individual Cox Plate winners as well as the Melbourne Cup winners. His staying pedigree was beyond peer.

Zabeel, by Sir Tristram (Sir Ivor) out of the mare, Lady Giselle (Nureyev) was trained by Colin Hayes and then David Hayes as a 4yo. Offered as part of the Ra Ora Stud draft at the 1988 NZ Bloodstock National Yearling Sale, the stunning dark bay colt drew plenty of interest. In the end, it was Colin Hayes and Hubie de Burgh, acting on behalf of Angus Gold and Sheikh Hamdan's burgeoning global Shadwell business who landed him for NZ$650,000. Hayes then found the key to getting the best out of the colt and he won his third start  at Flemington over 1400 metres by putting blinkers on, which turned him right around. Zabeel returned in the spring, winning well at Flemington and then claiming the Gr.2 Moonee Valley Stakes before running fourth in the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas. He was well-fancied in the Gr.1 Cox Plate, but suffered from a virus and would tail the field in, with another Shadwell horse, Almaraad, victorious.

Zabeel would take substantial improvement into the autumn of his 3-year-old season and won the Listed Debonair Stakes, his only win over 1200 metres on his resumption. Zabeel then won the Gr.1 Australian Guineas running away by 2.5L from a determined Ark Regal, with Academian running on into third. Zabeel would be beaten in the Gr.3 Autumn Classic by Stylish Century at his next start, but would avenge that with victory in a track record time in the Gr.2 Alister Clark Stakes, surviving a stern challenge and a protest in a memorable battle down the Moonee Valley straight. It was the Sydney rain that undid him later in that preparation, but Zabeel had one more win in him, claiming the 1990 Gr.1 Craiglee Stakes, now the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington for his new trainer. A suspensory injury would end Zabeel's racing career, and while his pedigree and performance made him an ideal stallion prospect, it was no sure thing as the current thoroughbred market was in fairly bad shape.

Zabeel Entered stud in 1991 at Cambridge Stud New Zealand and was pensioned from stud duties in 2013. The stallion sired 153 individual stakes winners of 350 stakes races, including Vengeance of Rain, who won the Dubai Sheema Classic and held the earnings record in Hong Kong. Zabeel also sired two of the greatest ever Australian champions in Octagonal and Might And Power, who won 17 Group One races between them, including the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, two Cox Plates, three runnings of the Mercedes Classic, and the Sydney three-year-old triple crown. One of Zabeel's half-brothers, Baryshnikov (by Kenmare), also won the Australian Guineas (in 1995) and retired to stud, while another winning half-brother, Break The Vault (by Redoute's Choice), entered stud in 2006. Zabeel also sired brilliant champions such as the stunning sire and 1994 Cox Plate winner Savabeel, 1999 Caulfield Cup winner Sky Heights, 2005 Caulfield Cup winner Railings, 2008 Cox Plate champion Maldivian, 2010 Auckland Cup winner Zavite, 1998 Mckinnon winner and Melbourne Cup runner-up Champagne, 2002 AJC Derby winner and sire Don Eduardo, 2005 McKinnon and Feehan Stakes winner Lad of The Manor, 2007 AJC Australian Derby winner Fiumicino, 2012 Brisbane Cup winner Lights of Heaven, 1000 Guineas winner Inaflury, Cronus, Dress Circle, Reset, 3 wins at G1 level Mouawad, Melbourne Cup winners Jezabelle & Efficient, as well as Lizzie L'Amour and Zabeelionaire. Zabeel has been the champion broodmare sire in Australia and New Zealand on three occasions. He is the dam sire of 26 individual Group One winners, including champions like Darci Brahma, Silent Achiever, Ocean Park, Dundeel, Dear Demi, Atlantic Jewel and so on.

Sir Patrick Hogan said Zabeel was a superb specimen of an animal. He was much more even-tempered than his father, Sir Tristram, but he was also the image of his famous father. He sired 44 prestigious Group One winners, one short of Sir Tristram's record, although Zabeel's descendants may still beat that. He earned tens of millions of dollars for Cambridge Stud and Sir Patrick says it is impossible to put a figure on it. At his peak, Zabeel's stud fee was $125,000, and five or six of his yearlings fetched $1 million at the sales. One, of them, Don Eduardo, sold for $3.6m in 2000, the highest priced yearling recorded in Australasian sales history.

He died in his paddock at Cambridge Stud in September 2015, and was buried alongside his famous sire, Sir Tristram in the stud's garden. Sir Patrick Hogan walked to where Zabeel was lying, and he said to himself, It's the end, it's over, he's not here any more. He knelt down to pat Zabeel's head, and he thanked the big bay for the huge contribution he'd made to thoroughbred racing.

RACE RECORD - 19: 7-1-4
EARNINGS - A$1,138,400

Moonee Valley Stakes (1989)
Australian Guineas (1990)
Craiglee Stakes (1990)

Leading sire in Australia 1998, 1999
Champion New Zealand sire 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie Racecourse
New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame (2014)