Savaglee, Gerard and Spratt steal the Guineas spotlight

[Wandering Eyes]

A dream spring for Savaglee, his trainer Pam Gerard and jockey Sam Spratt culminated in something very special in the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai 52^nd New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton on Saturday.

Savaglee began his three-year-old season somewhat below the radar, albeit with two wins to his name from seven starts last season including the Gr.3 Matamata Slipper (1200m). But the Savabeel colt has blossomed before our eyes this spring and become a standout of his generation, winning four of his five starts including the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m), Gr.2 Sarten Memorial (1400m) and Saturday’s $650,000 classic.

He has been expertly guided through his breakthrough campaign by trainer Pam Gerard, who has made a triumphant start to her tenure as solo trainer at Ballymore Stables in Matamata. Having previously trained in partnership with Mike Moroney for just under a decade, Gerard went out on her own in August when the Melbourne-based Moroney relinquished his New Zealand licence. Gerard has rapidly racked up 14 winners this season, headlined by Savaglee’s black-type treble.

The other piece of the Savaglee puzzle is Spratt, who is riding in the form of her life. She arrived at Riccarton on Saturday with 30 wins to her name and a three-win premiership lead over Craig Grylls. Spratt proceeded to add another four wins to that tally over the course of the afternoon, including a clean sweep of the black-type features with Illicit Dreams in the Listed Donaldson Brown Pegasus Stakes (1000m), Mehzebeen in the Listed Nautical Boat Insurance Metropolitan Trophy (2600m) and Savaglee in the one that mattered most.

Savaglee’s commanding form leading into the 2000 Guineas meant his win on Saturday hardly came as a surprise. He was sent out as one of the hottest favourites in the race’s recent history, jumping as a $1.70 chance. But his performance was something out of the very top drawer.

Spratt initially settled Savaglee in third behind So Naive and When Stars Align. Second favourite Love Poem slid up alongside him and kept him firmly in her sights, threatening to force him into a pocket along the rail.

But Spratt was having none of that, driving Savaglee through a narrow gap between So Naive and When Stars Align just before the home turn.

Savaglee stuck his head in front at the top of the straight and quickly took command, drawing away from his outclassed opponents and winning by two and three-quarter lengths. Love Poem crossed the line in a distant second, with longshot Domain Ace running into third.

Savaglee’s Guineas win came in a sizzling time of 1:33.86 – the third-fastest recorded in the race. It was beaten only by Xtravagant’s 1:33.59 in 2015 and Ugo Foscolo’s 1:33.81 a year later.

Savaglee, who was a $400,000 yearling purchase at Karaka from the draft of breeders Waikato Stud, has now had 12 starts for six wins, two placings and $744,975 in stakes.

“He’s been brilliant,” Gerard said. “I wasn’t worried until about 10 minutes before the race, but then it all hits home. You start thinking, ‘Have I done it right?’

“But Sam’s riding like a demon today. She was always very confident. And this is just a really good little horse that’s gone from strength to strength this season. It was probably easy in the end, but it’s never easy to watch.

“It’s special to come back to my old home town and win this race. I’ve run second a couple of times before, so this is fantastic.

“The Oaks Stud is amazing. I’m so honoured that they’ve entrusted me with this horse, and he’s done the job for them today. He’s halfway to being a stallion now. It’s amazing.”

Fellow Savabeel colts Embellish and Noverre went on to stud careers after winning the 2000 Guineas in 2017 and 2021 respectively.

Spratt was full of praise for Savaglee’s Guineas performance.

“That was pretty much perfect, he came back to me so nicely and just cruised along,” she said. “I briefly thought he was a bit flat around the 800m, but then as soon as I dug him up, I had plenty of horse there.

“They loomed up to us in the straight, but he’s got an amazing turn of foot. He just kicked away and was too good.

“I haven’t ridden a lot of colts like him in my time, so it’s very special to be riding him and winning this race today.”

Savaglee became the second 2000 Guineas winner in the last five years for owners The Oaks Stud. Their blue and white colours were carried to victory in the 2019 edition of the Christchurch classic by the homebred gelding Catalyst. Four years before that, The Oaks Stud also won the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) with Risque.

“It’s always a huge honour to win a race like this,” The Oaks Stud general manager Rick Williams said. “We’ve been lucky enough to be on the receiving end of Al Basti Equiworld’s generous sponsorship a couple of times now.

“It’s fitting that we won this race today with Pam Gerard. A few years ago, when she was an assistant trainer with Te Akau, she came down here with our filly Risque and spent about three months here with her during that spring. She ended up winning the 1000 Guineas, so as far as I’m concerned, Pam and The Oaks Stud are two-from-two together now.

“Sam Spratt is riding at the absolute peak of her powers as well. I really appreciate the way she’s stuck with this horse and the relationship she’s formed with him.

“He’s just an exceptional colt, and I’m hoping we’ll see a bit more of that in the future.”

That could include the inaugural $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) at Ellerslie in March. The Canterbury Jockey Club owns a slot for the lucrative race, with the connections of the 2000 Guineas winner having the first option to negotiate use of their slot. The 2000 Guineas is also a bonus eligible race, meaning Savaglee’s connections could have the chance to compete for an additional $1 million in bonuses if he lines up in the NZB Kiwi.

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