There was plenty of drama with the abandonment of last Saturday’s feature meeting at Hawke’s Bay, and that drama continued at the transferred meeting at Matamata on Wednesday in the running of the Gr.2 AHD Animal Health Direct – Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m).
Short-priced favourite Captured By Love reared up as the gates were released, losing six lengths at the start, and what looked to be all chance in the three-year-old feature.
So Naïve took up the pace making role up front, while second favourite Savaglee (NZ) (Savabeel) was posted three-wide throughout. The race looked to be a three-way go down the straight between leader So Naïve, Poetic Champion and a brave Savaglee, with the latter getting the judge’s call following a photo finish with So Naïve, while Te Akau Racing’s Captured By Love put in the run of the race to capture third place.
It took several minutes for the judge to declare a winner, and trainer Pam Gerard was sure Savaglee had failed to get up, but was relieved to hear otherwise over the loudspeaker.
“We were in the stand, and it looked like a good neck or so (that So Naïve had won), but it is an angle, so I am going to take it because they don’t usually go our way,” she said.
“He was a little bit fresh today, he did a lot wrong. He got posted three-wide and Sam (Spratt, jockey) said he was colty around at the gates and it showed coming for home, he wanted to lie on the other horse (Poetic Champion) a bit.
“He has got a really good turn of foot and he didn’t quite have that today, so he has done it tough but he has got the job done.”
The Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton next month remains Savaglee’s ultimate aim this preparation, and Gerard is looking forward to travelling the colt.
“He is better when he is away from his home track,” she said. “We are building up, we want the Group One.”
The Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) at Te Rapa on Labour Day will likely be his next target, and Gerard said he will have the addition of some gear.
“He has got to concentrate,” she said. “We have got the blinkers up our sleeve, which he had last year, and they will be going on pretty quickly, probably next start just to make sure he is totally focussed.”
While Gerard was not confident of a winning result when Savaglee passed the post on Wednesday, jockey Sam Spratt was.
“I thought I got it on the line, but I wasn’t sure, I thought my head was well in front,” she said.
“It was a tough effort, he got posted wide, but I opted to cuddle him up because if I pushed forward they would have kicked forward with me, and it would have been even worse. I had to take a breather and embrace the three-wide train.
“He was extra excited to be here. The whole way up the straight he was trying to lie on the other horse, Poetic Champion, a little bit. I think he might have been on the fresh side after it being called off (last Saturday). It was a tough effort.”
Spratt believes Savaglee will take a lot of improvement from the run, and she is excited by his prospects in the 2000 Guineas.
“I think there is huge improvement, and I think he just proved it,” she said. “He is definitely going to see the mile out, he is just as tough as nails.”
