Highly promising Savabeel gelding Poison Chalice (NZ) remained unbeaten this preparation when he produced another dynamic performance to defeat a talented field on the Lakeside course at Sandown on Wednesday.
The Paul Preusker-trained four-year-old, who had successfully resumed from a 10-month break at Geelong at the end of last month, continued his winning form with another impressive finishing burst to score over 1500m.
Under a patient ride by Declan Bates, Poison Chalice settled midfield and one off the fence and was deliberately smothered-up before letting down powerfully once clear of traffic to claim top honours.
“He wanted to get away from others and be a bit green but he is lightly raced and this is all done on raw ability. There is more to come but he has mentally got to mature a bit,” Preusker’s partner Holly McKechnie said.
“You want to expose them to all different scenarios and hope they handle it, but you have to tread lightly. He still hasn’t fully grown into his frame yet so we do a lot of different work with him down the road, around the sand tracks and plenty of swimming etc, but he is not a finished product yet.”
The lightly raced Poison Chalice has been ridden in his last two starts by Declan Bates, who agreed the best had yet to come from the gelding.
“He’s got lots of improvement, mentally he’s still a bit of a baby,” he said.
“He began really well out of the gates but I don’t think he’s a horse you want to lead on as he really has a good look around. I was happy to take a sit but I probably got shuffled back a pair further than I wanted but I didn’t want to be setting him alight. I wanted him to relax and travel nicely in the run.
“When the gap came he took a little bit longer to get through his gears today on the softer track, but once he hit his top he was going away from them late.
“I think these past two runs where he has been held up and he has run past them late are really going to stand him well going forward. I don’t ride many with that turn of foot.”
Bred by Waikato Stud, Poison Chalice is raced by the Ultra Horse Syndicate after he was purchased for A$350,000 at the 2021 Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
A half-brother to multiple winners Pins Prince and Neighbourhood, he out of the O’Reilly mare Urban (NZ) who is a half-sister to the Gr.3 South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) winner Residential.
Since Poison Chalice, Urban has produced three fillies by Savabeel and is again in foal to the multiple Champion Sire.
