Smart 3YO Prospects for The Oaks Stud

Media Release - Monday January 20

A pair of emerging fillies credited The Oaks Stud with a winning double at Pukekohe on Sunday with both homebreds promising to carry the Cambridge nursery’s colours to higher honours.

Niagara’s daughter Alaskan added momentum to her Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m) with victory in the NZB Karaka 2025 (2100m) at her third appearance.

Rick Williams with Savaglee's trainer Pam Gerard.  Photo: Race Images South

A race later, Cypher went one better in the Trackside.co.nz (1300m) after finishing runner-up on debut at Taupo in late December.

“It was a good day with a couple of progressive fillies, one a stayer and the other more likely a miler,” The Oaks General Manager Rick Williams said.

Alaskan is trained by Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray and the former prepared an Oaks quinella for the stud in 2012 with Artistic touching off Zurella.

“Hopefully, we can turn back the clock. It’s certainly been our long-term aim to get her to the race and I have no question she will get the trip, whether she’s got the turn of foot necessary to win an Oaks I’m not sure yet,” Williams said.

Alaskan is a daughter of the Zabeel mare Snowmobeel, a sister to Zagalia who won the Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (2400m).

All four of Snowmobeel’s foals to race have been successful including four-time winner Snow Secret who ran second in the Gr.3 Waikato Cup (2400m) and fourth in a Gr.2 Wellington Cup (3200m).

“It’s a family that has produced some great European staying horses and we bred the Oaks winner,” Williams said.

“Snowmobeel died and we kept this filly (Alaskan) in the hope that she could get some black type to carry on the family.

“She was always a very attractive, big filly that was going to need a bit of time. She’s broken her maiden now and it’s not always easy for a three-year-old filly to beat the older horses.”

Advertisement

Cypher is prepared by Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott, and patience has been key with the daughter of Darci Brahma.

“She went shin sore three times and had to come home so she has made her entrance onto the racing scene a little later than we would have liked, but if they’re good enough you find races for them,” Williams said.

Cypher is out of the Sakhee’s Secret mare Sleek Secret, who has an unraced two-year-old Darci Brahma filly named Tajana and a yearling sister.

“She’s also had a filly by Satono Aladdin and is now in foal to U S Navy Flag,” Williams said.

“Sleek Secret won five and was a bit unlucky and should have been a Group Three or Listed winner, every time we got her right something went wrong.

“Her two-year-old (Tajana) with Shaune Ritchie has had two trials for a second and a really good win the other day at Matamata and it will be going to the races shortly.”

Meanwhile, Williams confirmed the farm’s star colt Savaglee will make his next appearance in the Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) on February 8.

“He’ll take on the older horses at Te Rapa and then it will be three weeks into the Australian Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m),” Williams said.

Trained by Pam Gerard, Savaglee has won seven of his 13 starts including the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas in the spring and successfully returned last time out to claim the Gr.2 Levin Classic (1400m).

A rider has yet to be locked in for the Guineas at Flemington and Williams said they would be booking an Australian jockey in due course. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Kiwi Stayer Chasing Melbourne Cup Golden Ticket
Wolfgang, who races as Mister Wolfgang in Australia, will get his first opportunity to earn a golden ticket into the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) when he heads to Flemington on Saturday.
Golden Rose Brings Second Season Shake Up
We are two months into a new racing season and the second season sires table was given a good shake up over the weekend with the $1million Group I Golden Rose and $300,000 Group II Stutt Stakes both producing a quinella for sires in this cohort.
Sires With Winners - Monday September 29
Here is the full list of 22 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Autumn Glow Epsom Challenge - Just How Big Is This Task?
With the unbeaten Autumn Glow set to run as the first odds-on favourite this century in the Epsom Handicap on Saturday we thought we’d run some data to see how big this mountain is that she’s attempting to climb, and turns out, it’s pretty big.
2025 G1 The Metropolitan Field and Barrier Draw
Chris Waller and Ciaron Maher are set to have half of the Group I Metropolitan field between them with the Waller trained Birdman an easing favourite after drawing a wide gate for Saturday’s race.
Satono’s Stunning Stats Continue as Rich Hill Sires Shine
Rich Hill Stud’s Group 1 stallion roster was the dominant force at Te Rapa’s premier meeting with their progeny claiming a feature race double.
Resolute Racing Purchase Top Lot Goffs Orby Day 1
The Goffs Orby Yearling Sale kicked off overnight and the top lot on Day 1 was a colt by Blue Point purchased by John Stewart’s Resolute Bloodstock for €675,000, while Wootton Bassett produced the top selling filly, whose half-brother Trinity College is now in Australia.
Sires With Winners - Tuesday September 30
Here is the full list of 27 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
2025 G1 Epsom Handicap Field and Barrier Draw
The field and barrier draw has been decided for the Group I Epsom Handicap on Saturday with odds-on favourite and unbeaten mare Autumn Glow drawing the extreme outside gate in a field of 14.
Tara Talks Racing - Insights from a Legend - Darren Beadman
Beiwacht upstaged his more fancied rivals to win the $1million Group I ATC Golden Rose last Saturday in course record breaking style to become the hottest colt in Australia giving us the opportunity to chat to a legend that has been very much involved in his story so far.