Savaglee Ready to Pick Up Where He Left Off

Media Release - Wednesday January 8

Glamour colt Savaglee will commence an exciting summer programme at Trentham on Saturday, taking his place in the Gr.2 Top Kat Roofing Levin Classic (1400m).

The Oaks Stud galloper was undoubtedly the nation’s top three-year-old through the spring, winning the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m), Gr.2 Sarten Memorial (1400m) and his crowning success, the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m).

Savaglee is ready for more G1 goals in 2025 - Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images)

Savaglee made his first public appearance since his Riccarton success in a stacked Group and Listed trial at Matamata last month, where after powering from the gates, he travelled comfortably and won under little pressure for regular hoop Sam Spratt.

The impressive display further instilled the TAB bookmakers’ confidence in Savaglee, installing him an odds-on favourite at $1.70 for Saturday’s age-group feature, a race his trainer Pam Gerard is hoping will be a springboard to bigger targets.

“We’ve just kept him ticking over nicely, building up fitness and trying to have him in the best condition that we can,” she said.

“It’s not our final race for the season so he’s pretty well, he’s carrying a little bit of excess condition but we’re pretty happy with where he’s at.

“At the 1400, there just wasn’t anything else available, and it was going to be this race or the Telegraph (Gr.1, 1200m). We didn’t really want to take on the older horses at 1200m, then he’d carry a lot of weight in races like the Almanzor (Gr.3, 1200m).

“It was pretty plain sailing really, it had to be this one.”

The colt is a Karaka Yearling Sales purchase and a Kiwi-bred, meaning there are many options at his disposal including the lucrative $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) on January 25, and later in March, the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m).

Advertisement

As a future stallion prospect, Gerard has indicated Savaglee would be more likely to chase valuable black-type, with the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa on February 8 on the radar.

“We’ll know more after this Saturday in how he’s tracking, but at this stage, it’ll be this into the BCD Sprint. After that, hopefully we’ll be on to Australia,” she said.

“If not, we’ll see how he looks after Saturday, there’s still the Karaka Millions and the slot race. It’s one race at a time, we don’t have to rush to Australia if we don’t think he’s come back as well as he was. It’s been a big season so far with a lot of cancelations in getting him to Christchurch, so it’s going to catch up with him at some stage.”

The son of Savabeel will be joined in the Levin Classic by his talented stablemate Suit Yourself, who has a different path going forward into the autumn.

A colt by Savile Row, Suit Yourself made his presence felt early in the spring with two victories on the bounce, and after a short spell, he returned on Boxing Day at Ellerslie to finish a creditable fourth in the Gr.2 Auckland Guineas (1400m).

“He’s taking a Derby path and we wanted to give him a good look around Ellerslie,” Gerard said. “1400 is probably a bit shorter than what he needs, but it was good to get him out there and I thought he ran really well.

“He was probably a bit handier than we are used to having him, but it was just the way the race was run.

“We’re just getting the miles in his legs on the way to the Derby (Gr.1, 2400m) really.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Savaglee Likely to Spell
Gun three-year-old Savaglee will likely head to the spelling paddock following his heroic runner-up performance behind fellow Kiwi-bred Feroce in Saturday’s Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington.
Sires With Winners - Friday August 1
Here is the full list of 35 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Yes Yes Yes Filly Wins $100,000 Inglis Xtra Bonus
Passionate owner/ breeder Julia Ritchie is one of the key shareholders in Everest winner Yes Yes Yes, who recently relocated to Gooree Park Stud, and a filly she bred and sold called Mrs Goldberg collected a $100,000 Inglis Xtra bonus on Friday at Coffs Harbour.
Savabeel Colt Brilliant in G2 Levin Classic
Class three-year-old Savaglee stepped out for the first time since his devastating victory in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) in November and absolutely destroyed a small but handy field in Saturday’s Gr.2 Top Kat Roofing Levin Classic (1400m) at Trentham.
Farnan Friday – Winning Double
Farnan sired 14 first crop winners last season to be leading first season sire by winners and his first two runners on Friday both came out and won at Kembla giving him the perfect start to a new racing year.
Savaglee Ready to Take on Older Rivals
Savaglee has conquered all before him at age-group level in New Zealand, and on Saturday, the star colt will take on the older horses in a star-studded edition of the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m).
Savaglee Pushing on to G1 Australian Guineas
Gun New Zealand three-year-old Savaglee got his first taste of Australian racing on home soil on Saturday when placing behind Aussie raiders Here To Shock and Bosustow in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa, and his connections are now looking forward to testing his talents across the Tasman.
Shooting to Win Relocating to Yarradale Stud
Yarradale Stud has purchased Group 1 racehorse and sire Shooting To Win to cover his first book at its Gidgegannup property this season.
One to Watch – Kembla
The Myracehorse owners that braved the cold and damp conditions at Kembla on Friday were well rewarded when their Farnan gelding Ninja trotted up to win by a widening 11 lengths!
Bountiful and Many Men to be Offered at Tattersalls Online Southern Hemisphere Pop-Up Sale
The high-class pair BOUNTIFUL (Zoustar) and MANY MEN (Study of Man) have been catalogued for the Tattersalls Online Southern Hemisphere Pop-Up Sale to be held in collaboration with Inglis Digital Australia on Wednesday 6th August to Thursday 7th August. Full details of the sale which will take place on the Tattersalls Online website are now available to view at www.tattersallsonline.com.