Savvy Coup was last season’s Gr1 New Zealand Oaks winner and this second victory in a Gr1 in such easy fashion has confirmed Savvy Coup will get her chance to take on WINX in the Group 1 Cox Plate.
Co-trainer Michael Pitman stated “I’ve said all along that if she won this then she would go to the Cox Plate, but I don’t know if I’ll be there, but the horse will.”
While many may consider the task of beating Winx in the Group 1 Cox Plate in three weeks to be a monumental challenge, for Michael Pitman, trainer of Savvy Coup, it is nowhere near as daunting as the personal battle he is about to undertake.
Pitman will go under the surgeon's knife on Monday in a bid to beat bowel cancer. The 63-year-old was diagnosed back in February and has endured bouts of chemotherapy and radiation treatment over the ensuing eight months.
"My emotions did come out a little after the race yesterday but it was as much about winning with this wonderful mare as it was about what's going on in my life at present," Pitman said.
"We were just so confident about her chances and then for her to go out and deliver like that was just amazing.
Pitman, who prepares the mare in partnership with his son Matthew, had been bullish about Savvy Coup's prospects for the race ever since she produced an eye-catching fresh-up performance for fifth behind Melody Belle in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) on the first day of the Hawke's Bay carnival.
"When she ran fifth that day with no room in the run home, I said to Chris Johnson (jockey) then that I thought she would be very hard to beat in the Livamol," he said.
"I thought she had really matured from three to four and was over a few little niggles she had last season.
"She had a few problems with corns in her feet last season but so far this prep she has been as good as gold and everything had gone so well.
All going to plan, Pitman will be at Moonee Valley in three weeks' time to saddle his bonny mare.
"I'm going for surgery tomorrow, where they will remove a section of my bowel to take out the cancerous growth and surrounding tissue," he said.
"As long as it all goes well the doctors have said it will mean a 7-10 day stint in hospital before I can get home.
"There are 19 days to the Cox Plate, so I'm confident I will be on course to watch a South Islander take on the best in the world."
Pitman is realistic about his mare's chances but is adamant they are not going there to just make up the numbers.
"We know who we are up against but you never know in this game," he said.
"The way I look at it is there are still some pretty juicy plums if we can run into the placings along with some very realistic opportunities later on in the carnival.
"I think a race like the Matriarch Stakes over 2000m on the last day at Flemington is an ideal race for Savvy Coup so the Cox Plate could make an ideal lead-up run, as strange as that may sound."
“This was the most important race of my life and I’ve really appreciated all the support,” he said.
“She’s not a 1400 or 1600 metre horse – she’s an Oaks filly.
“I’ve heard people say I gave her too much last season, but they don’t know how we train and we don’t do much with them. This has been a massive team effort.”
Savvy Coup settled near the back of the field before rider Chris Johnson let her slide around the field from the 700-metre mark.
“The 2000 metres definitely helped her chances,” Johnson said.
“I got back as usual and got her to settle and when I pulled her out she came around them really fast.
“I went early on her, probably a bit too early, but she was strong to the line.”
Win, lose or draw, just being trackside at Moonee Valley on October 27 will be a victory for Pitman in itself.
Savvy Coup was bought out of Waikato Stud’s draft at Karaka for $65,000 in 2016.
They are out of the unraced Pins mare Eudora, who is a sister to the Group 2 winner Legless Veuve and the Group 3 winner Tootsie.
Her younger brother was purchased by the Hong Kong Jockey Club earlier this year for $500,000.
LOVE AFFAIR
LOVE AFFAIR mare by Savabeel x Romancing, by O'Reilly
Added a second placing to her resume in the SPRING SPRINT (G.R. Kelt Memorial) - Gr3
Hawkes Bay NZ, 1400m for Trainer M Baker & A Forsman and Jockey M Cameron.
This is the mare’s 2nd Black-Type placing in 9 starts with 5 wins, having previously been Gr2 placed.
Co-trainer Andrew Forsman said “While the 1400m isn’t ideal (first-up) we think she is forward enough to cope with it.
“We know she will be up against some pretty handy types that are being talked about for the race, but on what she has done so far she is up to the challenge.”
Given a decent break after downing class sprinter Volpe Veloce over 1200m at Te Rapa in late April, Love Affair has had a pair of trials to fit her for her opening assignment.
“She comes to hand pretty quickly and we were pleased with the way she performed in the trials she has had, which were both on fairly wet tracks,” Forsman said.
“The main goal for her is to get some more black type so we will map out a campaign based on the options available.
“We don’t have any set plans, rather we will take it on a race-by-race basis.”
Then at Morphettville JOHNNY VINKO (NZ) gelding 4, Savabeel - Brazen (NZ), by O'Reilly (NZ)
Won Race 5 the METAL-LINK HANDICAP over 2250m for Trent Busuttin.
These results again highlight the success of Savabeel when crossed with mares by PINS and O’REILLY.
SAVABEEL is a Champion – He has been:
4 x Champion NZ Sire: 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18,
Runner-Up in 2012-13,
Third in 2013-14.
3 x Leading NZ Sire (Aust. & NZ figures combined) in 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18.
3 x Leading NZ Sire (worldwide) in 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18.
Leading NZ Sire of 3YOs in 2017-18.
2 x Leading NZ Sire by Winners 2016-17, 2017-18.
Dynamic Syndications purchased 3 yearlings by the Champion Sire in 2018. Two were from PINS mares the other was a colt from an O’REILLY mare.
We have syndicated both the Savabeel’s from the PINS mares being On Broadway and Frankly.
We have retained to the end of the year this superb colt from the O’REILLY mare TIARA.
Their has recently been some major announcements that will have an impact on sensational champion sire SAVABEEL and the Australasian yearling market.
Savabeel
Firstly NZ Bloodstock announced that WAIKATO STUD for the first time, would not be offering any of their Waikato Stud bred SAVABEEL yearlings with any other sale company except NZ Bloodstock through their Karaka Premier and Select Sale.
That’s a major change to business philosophy as Waikato Stud have had a policy of taking SAVABEEL Yearlings to all the major sales in Australia.
In fact, this year Dynamic Syndications purchased 3 yearlings by SAVABEEL one at each at the NZ Premier, Inglis Classic and Inglis Premier.
Secondly, earlier this year SAVABEEL’s advertised a Service Fee increased from $100,000 + GST to an advertised but undisclosed “Private” fee.
Industry sources confirming that for non-shareholders mares, the increase was significant if you were lucky enough to get in.
We subsequently found out why.
Thirdly, Waikato Stud announced that they had limited the number of mares going to SAVABEEL in 2018 to just 125 which means for the 2018 breeding season, only 25 outside mares would be covered by non-shareholders nominations.
The impact of this means it will create scarcity of available product in the yearling markets to come and will drive prices significantly higher for the handful of available yearlings.
Professional buyers love Savabeel because of his amazing ability to uplift mares and sire Stakes Winners and Stakes Class horses.
Their Fourth announcement was that in 2019, there will be no outside mares covered by Savabeel – only mares on a shareholders nomination.
That means he will be limited to a book of just 100 nominations and no outside mares can visit the sire.
This has a significant impact because traditionally shareholders breeding to SAVABEEL keep their resultant progeny to race.
So commercially for the shareholders, yearling prices will skyrocket however the flip side is the conundrum that with the stallion being such a superstar, most breeders will retain.
In essence, these announcements mean that supply and demand will result in the yearlings becoming financially prohibitive to buy.
Just like we can’t afford a SNITZEL yearling anymore, the same will apply to the SAVABEEL yearlings in the future.
This is bitter-sweet news to Dean Watt at Team Dynamic.
Having syndicated and managed SAVABEEL throughout his racing career and watching him develop into a multiple times champion sire, now buyers will be financially impacted by his incredible success.
Dean Watt & Max Whitby return with SAVABEEL after winning the Gr1 Spring Champion Stakes
This year we paid
$190,000 NZ for the Savabeel x On Broadway (by Pins) Colt at the NZ Premier Sale.
He’s fully sold and was named
ELDER PRICE.
Savabeel x On Broadway colt 5% Share $14,995 (SOLD OUT)
We then purchased the most expensive filly we have ever purchased.
By Savabeel x Frankly (NZ) she has an awesome pedigree to match flawless conformation.
She came from the Melbourne Premier where we paid $180,000 + GST.
We have are now sold out in her and she has shown she is a serious horse for serious players who wanted the best.
Savabeel x Frankly Filly 5% Share $14,800 (SOLD OUT)
Bred on the same Savabeel x Pins cross as 9 Stakes Winners including our own Gr2 winner SAVAPINSKI (who is flying at trackwork at the moment), this filly is so impressive.
Our third Savabeel yearling purchase was from the Inglis Classic Sale.
From the mare TIARA (by O’Reilly) he is bred on the cross that has produced 10 stakes winners.
He has not been taken to market yet as we intended to finish the year with a bang by offering a super colt by the super sire.
Savabeel x Tiara Colt 5% Shares are $13,700
Our SAVABEEL x TIARA Colt under saddle 12 September 2018
Working on his own 12-9-18
Working in company - Closest to camera 12-9-18
5% shares in this colt will be $13,700 when they are released for sale but shares can be reserved.
You can’t buy a SNITZEL and going forward, you won’t be able to buy a SAVABEEL.
We always want to give our owners the opportunity to Race The Best - With The Best.
Call us straight away and chat with Adam Watt at Team Dynamic about how to reserve a share in the Savabeel x Tiara Colt.
Adam Watt