With 3 weeks between her last start
Gr2 Matriarch Stakes 2000m Win at Flemington and this Saturday’s
ATC Cup LR 2000m at Rosehill, lightly raced
4yo mare SAVAPINSKI has her trainer in raptures ahead of this assignment.
Savapinski (NZ) (Savabeel / Swarovski [NZ]) is a bold front-running mare and she will line up for Race 6 at Rosehill on Saturday carrying 55.0kgs against the males thus giving many of the boy’s weight.
However she deserves it.
Fresh off an awesome display when running the girls along in the Matriarch Stakes and winning by a
record margin of 2.75 lengths over PAYROLL, the form was franked when PAYROLL has subsequently won a Gr3 event at her next start.
Brenton Avdulla is booked to ride the mare again. SAVAPINSKI worked sensationally on Saturday morning and backed it up with her final gallop on Tuesday morning at Canterbury when working over 1200m on the course proper.
Alongside a stablemate the pair clocked 10.7 seconds for their final furlong with Gai’s senior rider Steve O'Halloran making the comment, "She was very strong through the line and could not have pleased me more. She feels terrific."
The race has attracted a field of 10 starters with Savapinski rated on top and is a clear $2.25 pre-market favourite.
On paper her biggest danger appears Black On Gold at $4.60, who has had four starts for two wins and two seconds this preparation. He is a Group 1 contender and you respect his form heading into the run. He only carriers 53.0kgs so with 2.0kgs less than our mare he is well weighted which brings him into calculation.
Another to consider is Green Sweet $9.50, who won the Listed Albury Cup last preparation over the 2000 metres and he's had the two solid trials heading into his first up run on Saturday.
Whilst the Waterhouse / Bott stable also has Broadside $6.50 and Fabrizio $11.00 in the mix.
Savapinski has thrived since returning from Melbourne.
She looks terrific in condition and her coat is gleaming. Her work on the track of late has been faultless and Gai couldn't be happier with her heading into Saturday's Listed affair.
You can see and hear Gai and Adam Watt discuss SAVAPINSKI and watch her at Randwick on Wednesday morning via our website story “A DAY WITH GAI”.
It is certainly going to be interesting with the fact this is the first time she has taken on the boys at Black-Type level.
Also
her main aim of the Spring was the Gr2 Matriarch however when mares are in form, they keep giving and we would not want to swap her for any other runner going into this event.
This preparation SAVAPINSKI has raced 6 times for 3 wins a 2nd and twice fourth.
Her overall record is 7 starts: 4-1-0-2 and $267,880.
She has earned black-type her past 3 runs where two starts back she ran 2nd behind an all-the-way winner in track record time at Moonee Valley and then up to her preferred distance for the first time she ran her rivals ragged.
Whilst it’s back in grade from a Gr2 down to a LR, it’s a significant rise in toughness required in this event. It’s one thing to be taking on mares yet another taking on older tough gelding especially when giving them weight.
With average racing luck in running we do expect Savapinski to be highly competitive again for a very excited group of owners.