Mike and Jimmy (Barbara) Cooney welcomed the well-performed son of Footsteps-inthesand to their Waimate stud in the last fortnight.
They plan to get him to work in his new role by the start of October.
''He's just arrived and we're just getting to know him at the moment,'' Jimmy Cooney said.
''We will probably serve the odd one before then if we can.''
The Irish-bred stallion was set to stand at Totara Park Stud in Northland before health issues overtook Totara Park part-owner-operator Dirk Oberholster, which forced the stud to find a new spot for Pure Champion.
Out of a Danehill mare, Castara Beach, Pure Champion also boasts the champion English miler Nannina, Hong Kong Horse of the Year Indigenous, Sydney Cup winner Jessicabeel, Adelaide Cup winner Water Boatman and Fenomeno, who headed the extended 2013 world thoroughbred rankings, and successful sire Sea Anchor in his pedigree.
Pure Champion began his career in his native Ireland under the name Steinbeck.
There, he won the group 3 Solonaway Stakes, the listed Ruby Stakes, finished a very close fourth in the Dewhurst Stakes and a fourth in the Irish Two Thousand Guineas.
He continued his career in Hong Kong, where he was the multiple stakes winner of the January Cup and the Centenary Vase and runner-up to Military Attack (Oratorio) in the group 1 Hong Kong Gold Cup.
Pure Champion ended up in New Zealand under the care of Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott, and raced six times.
His New Zealand highlight was clearly his win in last year's group 1 Windsor Park Plate and the group 3 Manawatu Challenge Stakes.
The O'Sullivans have retained their share in the stallion, and have pledged to donate their proceeds to cancer research after the deaths of daughter and sister Lisa Chittick last year and family matriarch Marie earlier this year.
Mike Cooney was thrilled to get a stallion with an outstanding track record across three countries.
''He's a pretty exciting horse,'' he said.
''When you look at his race record, he was pretty impressive.''
The Cooneys described Pure Champion as a striking big horse with a lovely head.
Pure Champion will stand for $4000 plus GST, alongside the stud's other stallions, Minstrel Court and Saperavi.
Mike Cooney is also the president of the Waimate Racing Club, and said Alister Wilson, who died last month aged 78, would be sorely missed.
Wilson was secretary of the Waimate Hunt Club from the early 1980s to 1988 before returning to take up the secretary's role for the Waimate Racing Club in 2003.
He retained that role until his death on August 26.
''He was one of those cheery fellas who always had a smile on his face and nothing was a problem,'' Cooney said.
''He was great to have a secretary, really. We'll miss him.''
