Photo: Race Images
The folks at Waikato Stud had plenty to celebrate when Nereus (Savabeel) added the Counties Cup (Gr 3, 2100m) to his growing record. However, Nereus wasn't the only positive for the highly influential bloodstock establishment.
Last autumn, Nereus made a good impression when taking out the time honoured Awapuni Gold Cup (Gr 2, 2100m), run at Trentham while the Awapuni track was undergoing refurbishment. That was just his eighth start and fifth win as he'd flown through the grades with Benchmark wins at Hastings and Trentham leading into the Gold Cup. To step up to Group 2 and at weight-for-age was a considerable effort yet he handled it well, closing from three lengths off the lead halfway up the straight to win by a length.
Clearly, Nereus is well above average and later that April his connections thought the same with a tilt at the Mornington Cup (Listed, 2400m) however he finished an ordinary sixth.
This season he has taken a few starts to find the same form, beginning with a fresh-up sprint followed by an encouraging second over 1600 metres at Hastings in September and a staying type third at Ellerslie over 2100 metres. Leading into Saturday's Cup he reverted to 1600 metres and got going too late, probably looking for more ground.
Pukekohe's 2100 metres was perfect but he needed every metre of the long straight as soon after turning for home he took time to balance. At the 300 metres he looked a little flat but from the 200 metres he exploded and was in front at the 100 metres, holding out a late challenge for his sixth win in 14 starts.
Nereus's earnings stand at $381,600 and buyers had their chance at the 2021 NZB Ready to Run sale to race the then colt in their colours. Bidding reached $140,000 but the stud valued him higher, at $200,000. Their valuation was justified.
Nereus is a younger brother to Savvy Coup, the champion New Zealand 3YO of 2017-18. She was a dual Group 1 winner of the Livamol Classic (2000m) and the New Zealand Oaks (2400m), two of her six wins.
She and Nereus are two of six winners from the unraced Pins (Snippets) mare Eudora whose sisters Legless Veuve and Tootsie were both Group winners in Melbourne. Tootsie produced triple Group 2 winner Ocean Emperor (Zabeel). Eudora's three-quarter sister Far Fetched (Pins) is the dam of the outstanding Probabeel (Savabeel), a $3 million earner with three Group 1s to her name.
Exactly how does one describe that relationship? Savvy Coup, Nereus and Probabeel are all by Savabeel (Zabeel) from three-quarter sisters. Seven-eighths?
They all descend from Hyades, the O'Reilly (Last Tycoon) daughter of Habania (Habat) and granddaughter of one of Waikato Stud's foundation mares, Georgina Belle (Pakistan II). Readers will be aware of the writer's regard for this family which keeps producing high quality group and stakes winners practically every season.
Continuing story
Another popped up at Ascot in Perth on Saturday when Storyville (Overshare) took her record to four wins in seven starts when scoring the Western Australian Guineas (Gr 2, 1600m). Seven days earlier Storyville broke through for her maiden stakes win when landing the WA Champion Fillies Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m).
Storyville's grandam Fromm (O'Reilly) was bred by Waikato Stud's Garry Chittick. Fromm is a granddaughter of the above mentioned Habania.
A third reason for the stud to keep smiling is that Embellish, by their resident multiple champion sire Savabeel, has a rising sprint star, Luberon, ready to advance to Group 1 company.
The 4YO mare has had her issues beginning with a collision with the outside rail after veering extremely wide in the Soliloquy Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) in October last year. She recovered from that to run fourth in the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) then third in the Auckland Guineas (Gr 2, 1400m) on Boxing Day. On Karaka Millions night Luberon was found to have a slight heart murmur after f inishing last in the Westbury Classic (Gr 2, 1400m).
Apparently unaffected and with the benefit of a good spell, Luberon has returned to bag three on the trot beginning with a Benchmark 75 (1200m) win at Ellerslie then followed that with the Sweynesse Stakes (Gr 3, 1215m) at Rotorua last month.
That was at weight-for-age and she carried 56.5 kilograms so we know she can carry more than the 53 kilograms she was assessed under handicap conditions for Saturday's Counties Bowl (Gr 3, 1100m).
When Joe Doyle asked her to accelerate at the 200 metres she responded nicely and put them away, clear at the 100 metres and able to ease near the line for her sixth win in 11 starts.
Luberon is one of two winners from two to race from the Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Elegant Achiever who was a $200,000 purchase from the 2013 NZB Ready to Run Sale. Elegant Achiever never raced but her dam is a half sister to two northern hemisphere Group winners Wunders Dream (Averti) and Grecian Dancer (Dansili) which have foaled stakes winners. There are plenty of black-type winners in this family to keep future buyers happy.
Raced by Brendan and Jo Lindsay of Cambridge Stud, where Embellish is based, Luberon is yet another mare to add to the Cambridge Stud roster instead of being sold overseas. The industry appreciates the Lindsays’ retention of such a mare for our New Zealand stud book and future yearling sales.
Counties also held the Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) which saw class win out when quality mare La Crique (Vadamos) staged a huge run to nab the race in the last stride. Not since her maiden and follow up win as a three year-old has La Crique scored at 1400 metres yet her class that season resulted in a second placing in the 2022 New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m).
In 22 starts she has won nine, has added nine placings and only twice has she finished out of the top four. Saturday's win took her New Zealand earnings beyond NZ$1 million while her sole Australian start brought an additional AU$345,000.
La Crique is now a six-year-old and has not been overtaxed. Given that star mares Via Vistina (Fastnet Rock), Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) and Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) are all seven, La Crique may have some of her best racing in front of her.
No sham
The Waikato Stud influence extended to Hong Kong on Sunday, November 17, when Shamexpress, a son of the stud's O'Reilly, sired the potentially world-class sprinter, Ka Ying Rising, who bolted away with the Jockey Club Sprint (Gr 2, 1200m).
This jaw-dropping win is the talk of the thoroughbred world and the four-year-old is already being hailed as the next Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) winner based on this latest devastating win.
With eight wins, including the last seven on end, and two seconds in ten lifetime starts, Ka Ying Rising went into the sprint as the winner of the Premier Bowl (Gr 2, 1200m). His winning margin on that occasion was deceptive as he was eased well before the line but the way he burst to the lead from the 200 metres was replicated in the Jockey Club Sprint yet Zac Purton never moved a muscle during the finishing strides to smash the 17-year-old track record.
Ka Ying Rising began his career in New Zealand but he merely had a jump out here as a two-year-old. Sold and transferred to the Hayes stable in Melbourne he won a trial then was transferred to Hong Kong which is where all the magic has taken place.
His family has been in the news lately. Ka Ying Rising's dam Missy Moo, a five-times winner by Per Incanto (Street Cry), was sold for $500 as a yearling at the 2014 NZB May Sale. Her dam Royal Rhythm (Rhythm) was at one time owned by Te Akau's David Ellis.
However, most interesting is that Royal Rhythm's dam is Her Dynasty (Sir Tristram), a sister to six-times Group 1 champion Sovereign Red, to Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) and Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) winner Gurner's Lane and to Delia's Choice, the great grandam of Mr Brightside (Bullbars), who is perhaps the best of all from this line, so far. Missy Moo had just two foals, both colts, but had to be euthanised in 2021.
Hoping to strike gold at last week's NZB Ready to Run sale were Lindsay Park Racing who purchased two by Shamexpress, one for $260,000 and the other for $280,000. Chances are, they were influenced by Ka Ying Rising's performance.
Racing NSW: not helping
And talking of Per Incanto...., on the plus side, Little Avondale Stud's favourite son is currently the leading New Zealand based sire in Australia, courtesy of a fantastic run of form from his latest star, Gringotts.
Since landing the May 18th Members' Handicap (Listed, 1600m) at Doomben, in which he defeated the 2024 Melbourne Cup winner Knight's Choice (Extreme Choice), he has recorded seconds in the Bill Ritchie Handicap (Gr 3, 1400m) and the Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) then two outstanding runs: winning The Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day and last Saturday, The Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange.
In back-to-back powerhouse performances, Gringotts drew the outside barrier on both occasions yet found either the lead or the trail after having to be used early to find those positions. At Kembla Grange, remembering that he was carrying top weight of 60 kilograms, he charged out of the gates and was in front after 50 metres but in the straight made light work of his top weight yet never looked like being caught.
On the minus side, especially from Little Avondale Stud's perspective, Racing NSW designated one as a Listed race and the other as a Group 3 but they have failed to follow protocol as neither is recognised by any authority outside of New South Wales. This situation is making Racing NSW look both foolish and out of touch but the most affected are breeders, not themselves.
Can someone start banging heads? This "going-it-alone" nonsense and sticking their f ingers in their ears is making a mockery of our far wider industry. It is doubtful if banging heads will work though. If bloodstock and racing industry genius John Messara was not able to bring sense to the table then perhaps, in the short term, there is little hope of settling Racing NSW's waywardness.
