New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run graduate Savvy Nature was among an impressive haul of NZ-bred winners at the Newcastle Cup carnival.
Photo by Racing and Sports
New Zealand Bloodstock graduates won three of the four black-type races held at the two-day carnival.
Savy Nature, a $200,000 product o the Ready To Run Sale, won the G3 Spring Stakes to continue a winning week for the sale graduates.
He followed the stakes success of Super Ninetyseven (Show A Heart) in Singapore along with four other winners on that card.
The John O’Shea trained three-year-old produced a dominant display at Newcastle, disposing of a quality three-year-old field with a length-and-a-half victory over 1600m.
O’Shea has high aspirations for Savvy Nature.
“He is a very, very nice horse. He showed a great turn of foot and is going to be very competitive when he gets to a mile and a half,” commented O’Shea.
“He will go to the Spring Champion Stakes and the Victoria Derby.
“He met all the criteria at last year’s Sale. We went over specifically to buy him after watching his breeze-up clip and looking at his pedigree, his pedigree is what appealed to us.”
Part-owned by Savabeel’s former owner Max Whitby, the son of resident Waikato Stud sire Savabeel is out of the Carnegie mare Generous Nature. His second dam is the Listed winner and G1 Blue Diamond runner-up La Lagune (Danehill).
“After racing Savabeel I still have got a lot of interest in him and race a lot of his progeny,” said Whitby.
“I looked at all the Savabeels at the Ready to Run Sale last year and had him out two or three times. I thought I might have had to pay $100,000 - $130,000 for him but obviously had to pay $200,000 for him.”
The David Payne trained Winning Glory (One Cool Cat) won Thursday’s G3 Newcastle Gold Cup and led home a NZB quinella as he defeated the Chris Waller trained Lucripetous (Pentire).
The consistent six-year-old brought up the eighth win of his 37 start career, his first at stakes level, and cracked the $500,000 mark for his owners Glenvallen Investments Pty Ltd.
The 2009 Karaka Premier Sale graduate was purchased by Li Fung Lok from Hallmark Stud for $100,000.
Bred by Milan Park Stud, the son of Khozaam mare Alpine Beauty is from the famous ‘Heights’ family that includes Battle Heights, Mapperly Heights, Royal Heights and Melbourne Cup winner Viewed.
The well-bred Karaka graduate Vaquera (High Chaparral) celebrated her first stakes win in the G3 Tibbie Stakes at Newcastle.
Vaquera was purchased as a yearling by Gai Waterhouse at the 2011 Karaka Premier Sale for $280,000 from her breeders Windsor Park Stud.
Waterhouse produced the daughter of G1 Avondale Cup winner The Mighty Lions (Grosvenor) fresh-up having run third in the G1 Queensland Oaks at her last start on June 1.
The four-year-old High Chaparral mare was having her second start on the track, previously winning as a three-year-old at Newcastle.
Vaquera delivered her first stakes win following two black-type placings at the end of her last campaign in Queensland. She has now won three races from ten starts and earned $182,280 in prizemoney.
“I have her nominated for all the major races in the spring,” Said Waterhouse.
“As a yearling, she was a lovely scopey filly with plenty of size and length, who really stood out at the Karaka Sales.”
Her owners the Henderson family are well accustomed to success with the progeny of High Chaparral having raced dual G1 winner Descarado with Waterhouse to win the 2010 Caulfield Cup.
Vaquera’s G1 winning dam The Mighty Lions is a half-sister to two stake performers.
