Winning Debut for Waikato Stud Blueblood

Media Release - Saturday July 24

Debutante It Might Be You looked to have a bright future ahead of her as she easily won a maiden 1200m event at Te Rapa on Saturday.

Despite being caught wide on the pace throughout, the Mike Moroney and Pam Gerard-trained daughter of Savabeel was handled patiently by rider Danielle Johnson and once asked to extend in the straight quickly gained the ascendency, before cruising to the line nearly four lengths to the good of her nearest rival.

It Might Be You strides to her maiden victory at Te Rapa Photo Credit: Trish Dunell

Bred and raced by Waikato Stud’s Garry Chittick, It Might Be You was favoured to get her raceday career off to the best possible start after winning a 1050m trial at Taupo earlier in the month, albeit much later in the season than originally expected.

“We had her ready to go when she put her leg through a fence, but it’s amazing how they recover,” Chittick said.

“Sam McLeish, here on the farm, and Pam have done a bloody good job. And our vet Chris Phillips, but it’s just a time thing and she’s been in and out (of work).

“But, if you take away the injury, sometimes the extra time does the horse a lot of good.

“We’re likely to poke around and try to win a few races with her through the spring, and maybe consider going to Australia next autumn, if she’s up to it.

“It’s a very good family that was running a bit short on females. We were always going to retain her, regardless of the injury, especially with what we see top mares are making off the track and their commercial breeding appeal, you’re better to breed your own.”

It Might Be You is out of the stakes-winning Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) runner-up Tootsie and is a three-quarter sister to triple Group Two winning stallion Ocean Emperor.

“It’s been our policy for a long time at Waikato Stud, trying to hang on to worthwhile fillies,” Chittick said.

“We sell good fillies too, obviously, but our policy by and large has been: if we’ve got a mare we like, we try and keep the first two fillies, so you don’t lose the family if something goes wrong.

Advertisement

“After that, we’re usually pretty happy to sell because you’ve got to get money from somewhere.

“We’ve got Movie (Savabeel) out of Tootsie and now this one, which is about it at present for fillies out of her, directly.”

Gerard did have some concerns about the Heavy10 surface on the day after Te Rapa had experienced significant rainfall during the week.

“I was concerned about the track conditions, but her work during the week on a heavy track at Matamata was actually very good,” she said.

“She was a little bit legless when trialling on Slow7 at Te Rapa, but that was in May and she’s come on a lot since then.

“She’s really clicked on and was jumping out of her skin in preparation for racing. Also, there didn’t seem to be a lot of options in the next couple of weeks so we were happy enough to line her up.

“Her last two trials had been very good. She’s a filly with ability and we are very happy with her progress.

“We wanted to teach her to do things correctly and if she keeps progressing the right way she could end up over in Melbourne, with Mike (Moroney). But she’s still in the educational process.”

The victory also brought up a special milestone for Johnson as it was her 150th win for the season, although she soon extended that tally with victory aboard the Emma Davies-trained Gerda in race four. – NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment

Race Result - Te Rapa Event Centre Mdn 1200m

Te Rapa Track: Heavy(10) Time: 1:15.53
1
It Might Be You
- 3f Savabeel (AUS) x Tootsie (NZ) (Pins (AUS))
Tnr: M Moroney & P Gerard Rdr: D S Johnson 55.5
2
3.8
Civil Unrest
- 3g Civics (AUS) x Donna Majella (AUS) (Royal Academy (USA))
Tnr: F & L Cornege Rdr: S T Collett 57.5
3
4.8
Tu Meke Potae
- 3g Makfi (GB) x Belle Fleur (NZ) (Danzero (AUS))
Tnr: L A Winters Rdr: E A Mc Call 54.5
4
6.1
Tavirock
- 3c Tavistock (NZ) x Capital Diamond (NZ) (Lucky Unicorn (AUS))
Tnr: Team Rogerson Rdr: B D Rogerson 53.5
5
8.9
Can't Fault Her
- 3f Iffraaj (GB) x Keepaflight (NZ) (Keeper (AUS))
Tnr: S B Marsh Rdr: K Asano 55.5
6
9.1
Outback Opal
- 3f El Roca (AUS) x Kashika (NZ) (Bachelor Duke (USA))
Tnr: M H Brosnan Rdr: L H Satherley 55.5
7
14.3
Seafoam
- 3f Rock 'n' Pop (AUS) x Vanilla Sky (NZ) (O'Reilly (NZ))
Tnr: V A Prendergast Rdr: E M Leighton 53
More Reading...
First Stakes-Winner for St Mark’s Basilica
Back at Coolmore Australia this spring for his fourth season, 2021 European Horse of the Year St Mark‘s Basilica (Fr) is on the board with his first stakes-winner after Thesecretadversary rolled the favourite to win the Listed Churchill Stakes (7 ½ f) at Tipperary overnight.
Breeders Paradise - Inglis Digital August (early) Online
An abundance of high-quality broodmares – many in foal to some of the hottest young stallions in the Southern Hemisphere – and broodmare prospects headline a “breeders’ paradise’’ in the Inglis Digital August (Early) Online Sale.
One to Watch – Geelong
Team Hawkes were the guiding force behind the racing career of Group I ATC Doncaster Mile winner Brutal and have also prepared his first Group I winner as a sire in Nepotism and they unleashed a debut winner by him at Geelong on Friday.
Sires With Winners - Thursday August 7
Here is the full list of 36 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Breeding To Win – Crystal Ball – New Season 3YOs to Follow
Who are we highlighting this week? - Analysis of the G1 winning 3YO’s for last season has made us realise how many horses on this list took giant strides from two to three, so we are looking into the crystal ball to find some juveniles we believe could end this season as G1 performers if not G1 winners.
Racing’s Night of Champions August 28
45 of the top horses in Australia will be recognised for outstanding performances during the 2024/2025 racing season at Racing’s Night of Champions.
First Foal for Golden Mile – Now a Gelding
The Group I MRC Caulfield Guineas has been won in recent years by colts that have gone on to become some of our most exciting young sires - The Autumn Sun, Super Seth and Ole Kirk, but for the 2022 winner Golden Mile that path is not an option.
Above the Clouds Wins $100,000 Polytrack Championship
It proved to be a long but fruitful day for Kelly Myers on Friday, with the now Central Districts-based hoop riding home Above The Clouds to win the $100,000 TAB Polytrack Championship (2000m) at Cambridge for local trainer Ralph Manning.
Zoustar Entering the Zenith
The dictionary tells us Zenith is an astronomical term —describing the highest point in an arc travelled by a star, planet or another celestial body- and in the case of this story it’s planet Zoustar!
Sires With Winners - Friday August 8
Here is the full list of 39 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.