Fresh is best for Savatiano in P.B. Lawrence Stakes
Godolphin filly adds another Group race to her CV to kick start spring carnival
The James Cummings-trained Savatiano (Street Cry) maintained her exceptional first-up record with a tough win in yesterday’s P.B. Lawrence Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Caulfield.
The six-year-old mare has won first-up from a break five times, including when taking out the Millie Fox Stakes (Gr 2, 1300m) at her first run in the autumn earlier this year.
Ridden by Mark Zahra, who guided fellow Godolphin runner Viridine (Poet’s Voice) to victory in the Regal Roller Stakes (Listed, 1200m) a race earlier, Savitiano settled one back on the fence before peeling out around the turn and sprinting home to defeat the Nick Ryan-trained Sircconi (Nicconi) by a head.
Group 1 winner Kings Will Dream (Casamento) ran home well at his first-up run for the spring, finishing a further length and a half away in third.
Godolphin’s Melbourne stable foreman Sean Keogh said Cummings wanted to replicate Savatiano’s preparation at the start of the year when she won the Millie Fox Stakes first-up at Rosehill.
“She came into this preparation similar to the way she entered the autumn,” Keogh said.
“We saw that pattern play out really well when she won the Millie Fox and showed herself to be a top flight racemare and the same recipe worked for us today.
“She only had the one public trial so she’s definitely going to derive some natural benefit from the race and we’re very happy with her.”
Zahra said he watched Savatiano’s recent trial win in Sydney and felt she cruised home with James McDonald aboard.
“When I drew well it was just going to be a matter of getting luck at the right time and it panned out perfect,” Zahra said.
The winning jockey said with 300 metres to go he was confident his mount would cruise past Sircconi, but he was surprised at how strongly the runner-up fought back.
“I just had to give her a bit of a shake up. I always thought I was going to get there but it was harder than I thought,” he added.
The Bob Peters-owned and Grant and Alana Williams-trained Arcadia Queen (Pierro) kicked off her campaign with a solid run to finish fifth, while All-Star Mile (1600m)-winning stablemate Regal Power (Pierro) failed to fire, coming home in ninth position.
Grant Williams said of his runners: “Disappointing were my first thoughts but just watching the replay, both pulled far too hard.”
“We had to come (to Victoria) a month early and we didn’t get the trials into them I would have liked. Regal Power had one and Arcadia (Queen) went into that without a trial so her effort was pretty good and Damian (Lane, jockey) said he thought she was still going okay on the line.
“Regal Power was wide and never really settled and they’ll both take benefit from this.”
Savatiano (6 m Street Cry – Retsina by Redoute’s Choice) has won ten of her 33 starts for prize-money of $1,761,910, with yesterday’s Group 2 success bolstering her improving family.
She is one of three named foals out of the winning, stakes-performed Retsina (Redoute’s Choice), making her a half-sister to the four-time stakes-placed Athiri (Lonhro) – who narrowly missed out on scoring a victory herself at Randwick yesterday – and Athens (Medgalia d’Oro), who sold for $160,000 at this year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
Savatiano is also a granddaughter of QTC Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) winner Star Shiraz (Sequalo).
Retsina has an unraced two-year-old colt by Hallowed Crown (Street Sense) named Vilana and a weanling by Lonhro (Octagonal), while she is currently in foal to Street Boss (Street Cry).
Savatiano is one of 131 stakes winners for the late Darley sire Street Cry (Machiavellian) who died in 2014 from a neurological condition.
Sebring’s Playboy is oh so Vain
Mick Price has unearthed a talented sprinter after Our Playboy (Sebringl) upstaged a number of well touted three-year-olds in yesterday’s Vain Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) and the senior trainer says the son of Sebring (More Than Ready) will not be asked to extend out over significantly longer distances.
The in-form Caulfield trainer, who operates in partnership with Mick Kent Jnr, made the prediction after Our Playboy claimed the first Melbourne three-year-old stakes race of the new season.
The winner of a Terang maiden and midweek Sandown Hillside victory in April, the colt was first-up in the $160,000 feature where he was ridden for the first time by Ben Melham.
Our Playboy ($12) defeated Ranting (Zoustar) by a length, with favourite Rulership (I Am Invincible) another length and a quarter away in third.
Price described Our Playboy as “a real sprinting son of Sebring and that’s what we bought him for”.
“I think we just need to keep him to sprinting,” Price said post-race.
“I don’t think we’ll get him out over much of a journey. That’s why we bought him to be a sprinting Sebring and that’s what we will do.
“We’ve just got to keep his brain right and keep him sprinting. I thought he showed a bit of stamina towards the end, so it was a good effort.”
Price also praised Our Playboy’s trackwork rider for putting in a lot of work in an effort to get the strong colt to settle.
“I’ve got to give some credit to a kid called Ben Wade who rides him every morning,” the trainer said.
“He’s been a horse that’s really wanted to truck-up and over-do it but this kid’s got him going really well and you noticed he just started to pull half way through the race and I mean, it’s only 1100 metres.”
Melham echoed Price’s appraisal of Our Playboy.
“(My) main objective was to get him to relax,” the winning rider told Racing.com.
“I wasn’t too worried about being wide. It is probably better being out there anyway. I was a bit concerned that he didn’t have cover but I didn’t bustle him, I just kept him in a rhythm.
“He’s got a really effective turn-of-foot as he displayed there. (He) put a good bunch of colts away today and he’s heading in the right direction.”
Co-trainer Troy Corstens said inexperience had played against the runner-up Ranting.
“He’s still immature but he did a really good job. He’ll take a lot of fitness out of that. We know he deserves his place in these races,” Corstens told Racing.com.
“Dwayne Dunn (jockey) thought they were home, Mick Price’s horse (Our Playboy) had the drop on us.
“But we were so impressed with how he went again when he was headed and fought back. We haven’t really looked past today but a race like the McNeil Stakes or the Danehill Stakes are options.
Hydro Star (Headwater), who was the $4.80 second–favourite on the back of an impressive first-up win at Sandown on July 22, settled last and was unable to make ground when asked to make a long and wide run by jockey Jamie Mott. He finished last, beaten five and a quarter lengths, in the field of nine and is likely to head to the paddock.
A $210,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale graduate from the Widden Stud draft for Price and Kent, Our Playboy (3 c ex Mischief Night by Shamardal) has now won three of his five starts and $139,205 in prize-money.
He is the first foal to race for Mischief Night, who is a half-sister to Group 1-winning sprinter Pierata (Pierro) and the Group 3 scorer Ashokan (More Than Ready).
Mischief Night, who was bought for $85,000 by Widden Stud at the 2016 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale before being traded at the same auction last year for $200,000 to Matthew Sandblom’s Hollymount Stud.
The unraced Mischief Night’s younger half-brother Jet Propulsion (Rubick), a $900,000 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale purchase, won nicely at Newcastle last week at just his second start for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
Our Playboy’s Your Song (Fastnet Rock) half-brother made $20,000 at this year’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale while Mischief Night had a Pierro (Lonhro) colt last September and is due to foal to Capitalist (Written Tycoon) next month.
The Vain Stakes winner is the 61st stakes winner for Sebring (More Than Ready) who died in February last year.
Pride Of Dubai filly finally breaks maiden in Quezette
It took her eight starts but Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) finally broke her maiden with a comfortable win the Quezette Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Caulfield yesterday.
Runner-up in both the Inglis Banner (RL, 1000m) and Inglis Millennium (RL, 1100m) as a two-year-old, the daughter of Pride Of Dubai (Street Cry) jumped well and shared the lead with Miss Bosetti (Snitzel), before kicking away around the bend and scoring by two lengths.
River Night (Night Of Thunder) was second, with Aqua Girl (Headwater) another three-quarters of a length away in third.
Bella Nipotina is also the first stakes winner for Lindsay Park since David Hayes departed the stable to take up training in Hong Kong and it was the first stakes success for winning rider Michael Rodd since returning from a five-year stint in Singapore.
“That’s a huge result,” co-trainer Ben Hayes said. “She has been a very unlucky horse in her races to date, she has been knocked off by some really nice horses.
“Off her trials, she really improved. We were going to go to a maiden but she trialled so well we changed plans and came here to go for the stakes race and it was a very good decision.
Rodd said: “It’s nice to get one up (a stakes win) and it’s nice to get one for the new training partnership with Tom (Dabernig) and Ben. Spring is on our doorstep and it’s good to get going now.”
“She was great. Her form is there for everyone to see. She ran second in that good million dollar race at Warwick Farm on a wet track. She’s always had the ability but couldn’t put it together. But as Ben said to me after the race, she’s more mature now and she sustained that speed and she quickened this time.
“Early in the race she was a little bit keen. I had to steady her up. She flicked her head up once or twice but she came back underneath me nicely. Just before the bend she wanted to go and I just released her. She showed a really good turn-of-foot.”
As for Bella Nipotina’s next target, Hayes said races like the Atlantic Jewel Stakes (Listed, 1200m) at Moonee Valley on September 5 and Cap D’Antibes Stakes(Listed 1100m) at Flemington on September 12 could be potential options.
“She is a filly that does feel her runs but if she pulls up well, there are options like the Atlantic Jewel and the Cap D’Antibes now which are races we’ll look at,” Hayes said.
Bella Nipotina (3 f ex Bella Orfana by Star Witness) has now had eight starts for a win, three placings and has never finished out of the top four. She has now earned $647,725 in prize-money.
Michael Christian’s Saconi Thoroughbreds bred Bella Nipotina and offered her through the Rosemont Stud draft at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, where she was purchased for $80,000 by Lindsay Park, Andrew Williams Bloodstock and Mt Hallowell Stud.
“We’ve always thought she’s a bloody nice horse, right from the start, and when David (Hayes) bought her at Premier my brother Brad and I stayed in for the ride,’’ Christian, who has since set up and manages Longwood Thoroughbred Farm, said.
“It’s so exciting for everyone. She thoroughly deserves it, she hasn’t finished further back than fourth.
“We’ve got the new farm now, we’re coming up to two years here at Longwood so it’s a great promotion for the farm as well.
“I can see the dam from here up the back, she’s in foal to Trapeze Artist and will go back to Pride of Dubai this season.’’
The three-year-old filly is the only foal to race for Bella Orfana (Star Witness) who herself is a three-quarter sister to dual stakes winner and Group 1 placegetter Hallowell Bell (Starcraft) and a half-sister to Perth Group 3 scorer Fuddle Dee Duddle (Red Ransom).
Bella Nipotina’s third dam – Holbrook Lass (Rory’s Jester) – is also responsible for Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner In Top Swing (Beautiful Crown) and Group 2 runner-up Bella Sorellastra (Lope De Vega).
Bella Orfana has a two-year-old by Capitalist (Written Tycoon) while she is currently in foal to Widden Stud resident Trapeze Artist (Fastnet Rock).
Bella Nipotina becomes the third stakes winner for Coolmore’s former reverse shuttler Pride Of Dubai, joining Tanker and Star Of Emaraaty. The second season sire stands at Coolmore’s Jerrys Plains for a fee of $38,500 (inc GST) in 2020.
North Pacific rockets to top of Golden Rose charts
North Pacific skyrocketed to the top of the markets for the Golden Rose Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) and Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) after another emphatic performance in the Up And Coming Stakes (Gr 3, 1300m) and providing his sire Brazen Beau (I Am Invincible) with a potential star.
The Hawkes Racing-trained North Pacific, who showed his talent when third in the Silver Slipper Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m) behind Farnan (Not A Single Doubt) at his only start during the autumn, returned at Rosehill in July to score a dominant win in two-year-old company and went on with it in yesterday’s Group 3 race.
Jockey James McDonald extricated himself away from the rail after drawing barrier one – the inside section was quicksand – and North Pacific ($1.85 favourite) extended powerfully on the outside fence to win by a widening five and a quarter lengths.
Bazooka (Smart Missile) was runner-up, with Marsannay (Snitzel) another long head away in third.
Corporate bookmakers immediately reacted to the nature of North Pacific’s victory by installing him as the $3.50 Golden Rose favourite and also made him top elect at $5 for the Caulfield Guineas.
His price for the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) also firmed into $26.
Co-trainer Michael Hawkes indicated that the Golden Rose was likely to be North Pacific’s next start after the horse lived up to expectations yesterday with 35 days between starts.
“This is a stepping stone and he will probably go to the Golden Rose next,” Hawkes said.
“We kept him fresh and it was five weeks between runs into today.”
The exciting colt could be joined by fellow Orbis-owned three-year-old Doubtland (Not A Single Doubt) and another stablemate Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) in the September 26 race.
“When you have the colts that we have, Ole Kirk, Doubtland and this bloke, you try to separate them and try not to compete,” Hawkes said.
“If they end up clashing in a Golden Rose or Caulfield Guineas or whatever races we are targeting with them, sobeit.”
McDonald was full of confidence about the Group 1 prospects of North Pacific upon returning to scale.
“Can I go around again?” McDonald quipped.
“The Hawkes stable have always had big wraps on him and I still believe there is a bit to come, I suppose they do too.
“They do a wonderful job with these colts and he is no exception.
“He oozes a lot of class, he swaggers around the arena and then canters down off the bridle, executes brilliantly and wins like that. It’s pretty nice.”
The top-priced horse at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale last year, the Bhima Thoroughbreds-consigned North Pacific (3 c ex Up In Lights by O’Reilly) was an $800,000 purchase for Orbis Bloodstock.
He has earned $164,700 from his three starts and he is the first winner for his unraced dam who was initially a NZ$130,000 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale graduate.
“Anyone who saw him at the Premier Sale, he never missed a beat and for a horse that was as busy as he was and to never jack up, never turn a hair, everything was always so natural for him then and it looks like that’s transferring into his race day manner as well,’’ Bhima Thoroughbreds’ Mike Fleming said.
“He looked the real deal then and he certainly looks the real deal now. He always just had that attitude about him, even before he got to Oaklands, he’s always had such a great nature and constitution and nothing phases him.’’
Up In Lights is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Spin Doctor (Pins) and the Listed-placed Poniard (Reliable Man) while she is a three-quarter sister Sitting Pretty, the mother of ATC Epona Stakes (Gr 3, 1900m) winner Missybeel (Savabeel).
The half-brother to North Pacific by Maurice (Screen Hero) was purchased by Robert Roulston Bloodstock at this year’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale from the Three Bridges Thoroughbreds draft while Up In Lights is due to foal in November to Brazen Beau.
Brazen Beau, the sire of nine individual stakes winners, will stand for an unchanged fee of $49,500 (inc GST) at Darley’s Northwood Park in Victoria this year.