Savabeel Guineas Contender Ready for Return

Media Release - Monday September 10

Quality three-year-old Sword Of Osman will make a return to the racetrack this weekend when he tackles the Group III Cambridge Stud Northland Breeders' Stakes (1200m) at Ruakaka on Saturday.

Sword of Osman - Trish DunnellSword Of Osman won on three occasions in his juvenile year, with victory in the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie over stablemate and Champion two-year-old Avantage the highlight of the campaign.

The son of Savabeel is prepared by Jamie Richards at Matamata and is being set for the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai 46th New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November.

"He has had two trials to get him ready to return and they have both been pretty good," Richards said.

"We were keen to get him in behind a couple and just give him some options. Hopefully he's not going to be just one dimensional. He got back and over-raced a little bit in the trials and that's probably taken the sprint out of him, but we've been pleased with him.

"We'll just try and ride him quietly again on Saturday.

Richards said the gelding would likely take in the Gr.2 Sacred Falls Hawke's Bay Guineas (1400m) on October 6, before heading south to the Listed Zacinto Stakes (1600m) at Riccarton on October 27 as the lead-ups to the 2000 Guineas.

"I think the Zacinto is now the form race for three-year-olds for that carnival," Richards said.

Te Akau Racing have established a fine record in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas with four winners of the race in the past decade, but Richards does not believe he will have a significant volume of runners on target for this year's classic.

Advertisement

"We've got Publicist in the South Island who is shaping up well," Richards said. "He's an improving Redoute's Choice colt that we like. He's probably going to be the only colt we'll have there at this stage.

"Sword Of Osman is a gelding and he will also head towards the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) in January before looking at Australia in the autumn.

Meanwhile, last season's Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) runner-up Mongolianconqueror is another likely to resume at Ruakaka on Saturday.

"We were going to run him at Wanganui on Saturday, but the track was heavy and then it improved," Richards said.

"We just thought we'd go to Ruakaka this coming Saturday where he'll run in the Benchmark Rating 82 1400m with an allowance and that'll be a nice place to kick him off.

"Then we'll just have to pick and choose where we head to from there. We've been held up by cancelled trials, but the horse is going well. He's taken a little while to come out of the winter and we have taken him quietly, but he's on the right path now.

"We've nominated him for all the big races in Australia, but we are probably a little bit behind the eight ball, so we've just got to get through Saturday and see how he goes and then finalise some plans from there." – NZ Racing Desk

Advertisment
More Reading...
Aussie 2YO SW for Tivaci
New Zealand-bred colt Matahga stamped himself as an exciting spring three-year-old prospect with a hard-fought victory in the A$120,000 Listed David Peacock Oaklands Plate (1400m) at Morphettville on Saturday.
Savabeel Colt Secures Karaka Million Start
Te Akau Racing’s quest to win the Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) for the fourth year in succession was bolstered considerably when Cool Aza Beel ensured his place in the field with a dominant victory at Tauranga on Friday.
Corumbene Stud Homebred Tashi Wins G1 Tatts Tiara
From the last crop of foals sired by Widden Stud’s much missed Golden Slipper winning sire Sebring, five year-old mare Tashi may also be his final Group I winner as she produced a career best performance at Eagle Farm on Saturday to win the $700,000 Group I Tatts Tiara (1400m).
Sires With Winners - Saturday June 28
Here is the full list of 109 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Mo'Unga Looking to Bounce Back
Trainer Annabel Neasham is looking forward to stepping out Group One winner Mo’unga in the Gr.2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday, where she is expecting to see an improved run from the entire.
Savabeel Blueblood Wins G3 Desert Gold
A copybook ride by Opie Bosson paved the way for promising filly Showbeel to add a valuable black type success to her career record when she took out the first feature race at Trentham on Saturday, the Group III New Zealand Bloodstock Desert Gold Stakes (1600m).
Miss Joelene Achieves Millionaire Status
This time last year, Miss Joelene was highlighting herself as one to watch for the future, having placed in the Group 2 The Roses and the Group 1 Queensland Oaks, and after a few runs behind the outstanding Antino (Redwood) this time in, a class drop on Saturday saw her record victory in the $200,000 Listed BRC Tattersall’s Gold Crown (2100m) at Eagle Farm.
Another Aussie SW Sourced from Aga Khan Studs
When Australian investors buy tried horses out of Europe from Aga Khan Studs they know they are getting quality, but the good ones don’t come cheap with Elamaz (IRE) sourced from their draft at the Arqana Arc Sale last year for €480,000.
Tattersall’s Mile For The Inflictor - Under The Louvre’s Second SW
Third at Listed level before winning at Doomben, the Craig Cousins-trained The Inflictor (Under The Louvre) then tackled the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, and while not in the same league as winner War Wachine (Harry Angel), the 4yo gelding showed his class on Saturday to win the Listed BRC Tattersall’s Mile (1600m) at Eagle Farm.
Better Than Ready’s Metalart Wins Group 3 W J Healy Stakes
Improving off a third in the Listed Lightning Handicap at Eagle Farm recently, 4yo Better Than Ready gelding Metalart stepped up to 1200m to record his first black type success, winning the Group 3 W J Healy Stakes.