Glee-ful start for talented Guineas-bound Savabeel colt
Taupo meeting also sees dominant return of exciting filly Alabama Lass
A winning Taupo spring pipe-opener by Savaglee is a far cry from an important Group 1 victory for the son of champion sire Savabeel (Zabeel) needs to gain legitimacy as a future The Oaks Stud stallion prospect, but his performance has put him on that trajectory.
Savaglee, a NZ$400,000 purchase by Rick Williams last year at Karaka with the explicit hope of the colt being good enough to join the Cambridge farm’s stallion roster one day, will be set for the New Zealand 2000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) at Riccarton in November.
The Pam Gerard-trained Savaglee is likely to follow the successful blueprint used by Catalyst (Darci Brahma), who won the 2019 Guineas for The Oaks Stud owner Dick Karreman.
Wednesday’s New Zealand midweek meeting drew a collection of high-class three-year-olds to two 1100-metre races, with Group 3-winning juvenile Savaglee posting a 1.3-length victory over the previously unbeaten Super Photon (Super Seth) while the exciting Alabama Lass (Alabama Express) had a 3.5-length margin over her nearest rival in the fillies’ division.
Karaka Millions (RL, 1200m) and Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Velocious (Written Tycoon) ran fourth behind the Ken and Bev Kelso-trained Alabama Lass in her seasonal return to racing for Stephen Marsh and syndicator Go Racing.
Williams, The Oaks Stud’s general manager, revealed that Savaglee would now head to the El Roca Trophy (Listed, 1200m) at Hastings on September 7 after living up to the development he and Gerard believed he’d shown since he last raced in the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) in early April.
“He’s grown up a bit and, like most Savabeels, they improve quite significantly from two to three,” Williams told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“He’s finally grown a wither and lengthened out a bit. It was impressive against a horse that I think is pretty good.
“Pam changed the gear around, we got the blinkers off, and [jockey] Sam Spratt said all he was doing as soon as he hit the front was looking at the stand and the birdcage and the mounting yard.
“He lost interest in the race, but that’s a good sign that [he was able to win].”
Gerard had been buoyed by Savaglee’s barrier trial at Te Rapa when runner-up over 900 metres.
“He trialled up pretty well, so I was fairly confident,” Gerard said.
“He was awesome, he settled beautifully, never got aggressive and he kicked away really easily.
“In the last 100 metres he had his ears pricked and was having a real good gawk around.”
Racing left-handed may have also proven advantageous to Savaglee, according to Williams, whose talented colt raced seven times at two, winning on debut last October before landing the Matamata Slipper (Gr 3, 1200m) four starts later.
“He was a bit of a baby and he raced like a bit of a baby. He was ‘bum high’, and we didn’t want to make a two-year-old out of him, but you couldn’t resist. He just said he was ready to race,” Williams said.
“Certainly, last year, he wasn’t good right-handed and whether that’s changed this year now that he’s grown a wither, he’d switch legs and do things, but he doesn’t have to go right-handed through to the 2000 Guineas where we’ll head like every other [talented] three-year-old.”
Alabama Lass was also impressive on her return after two starts as a juvenile, running 1:07.33 seconds in her first-up performance, considerably quicker than the 1:08.74 seconds recorded by Savaglee one race earlier over the same 1100-metre distance.
It backed up her electric barrier trial win at Te Rapa, the same session where Savaglee had a public hit-out to prepare for Taupo.
Spratt, who completed a race-to-race double on the brilliant three-year-olds, believes Alabama Lass has loads of improvement to come.
“She went up the straight like a drunken sailor,” Spratt said.
“I think it was just because she was doing it so easy, she was doing it on her ear and got a bit lost. If she had a rail to follow it would have been much better because she has never done that before.
“She was brilliant and did it easy and it was a smart field, she has got huge improvement.”
The Rifa Mustang-bred filly won her first start at Matamata in February and was runner-up in the Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at her only other start last season.
“You have got to be happy, she has won nicely,” Ken Kelso said of Alabama Lass’s first-up win.
“She has run around a little bit but that is only her third start, so she is only going to keep improving.
“She will go from here to Hastings for the Gold Trail and then we will pick a plan from there. How far she will get you don’t know, you just take one step at a time.”
While Kelso remains conservative with his star filly, the New Zealand 1000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) at Riccarton in November is on the cards.
“She will definitely be nominated for the 1000 Guineas but whether she can get that far time will tell,” the trainer said.
“The way she relaxes in the running and on her pedigree too [I think she can see out the distance]. She has got half–brothers and sisters that have gone to a mile.
“Bounding ran second, and probably should have won the 1000 Guineas, and she was an out-and-out sprinter later on.
“They can get it against their own age group, but until you try you never know.”