Spratt initially settled Savaglee in third behind So Naive and When Stars Align. Second favourite Love Poem slid up alongside him and kept him firmly in her sights, threatening to force him into a pocket along the rail.
But Spratt was having none of that, driving Savaglee through a narrow gap between So Naive and When Stars Align just before the home turn.
Savaglee stuck his head in front at the top of the straight and quickly took command, drawing away from his outclassed opponents and winning by two and three-quarter lengths. Love Poem crossed the line in a distant second, with longshot Domain Ace running into third.
Savaglee’s Guineas win came in a sizzling time of 1:33.86 – the third-fastest recorded in the race. It was beaten only by Xtravagant’s 1:33.59 in 2015 and Ugo Foscolo’s 1:33.81 a year later.
Savaglee, who was a $400,000 yearling purchase at Karaka from the draft of breeders Waikato Stud, has now had 12 starts for six wins, two placings and $744,975 in stakes.
“He’s been brilliant,” Gerard said. “I wasn’t worried until about 10 minutes before the race, but then it all hits home. You start thinking, ‘Have I done it right?’
“But Sam’s riding like a demon today. She was always very confident. And this is just a really good little horse that’s gone from strength to strength this season. It was probably easy in the end, but it’s never easy to watch.
“It’s special to come back to my old hometown and win this race. I’ve run second a couple of times before, so this is fantastic.
“The Oaks Stud is amazing. I’m so honoured that they’ve entrusted me with this horse, and he’s done the job for them today. He’s halfway to being a stallion now. It’s amazing.”
Fellow Savabeel colts Embellish and Noverre went on to stud careers after winning the 2000 Guineas in 2017 and 2021 respectively.
Spratt was full of praise for Savaglee’s Guineas performance.
“That was pretty much perfect, he came back to me so nicely and just cruised along,” she said. “I briefly thought he was a bit flat around the 800m, but then as soon as I dug him up, I had plenty of horse there.
“They loomed up to us in the straight, but he’s got an amazing turn of foot. He just kicked away and was too good.
“I haven’t ridden a lot of colts like him in my time, so it’s very special to be riding him and winning this race today.”
Savaglee became the second 2000 Guineas winner in the last five years for owners The Oaks Stud. Their blue and white colours were carried to victory in the 2019 edition of the Christchurch classic by the homebred gelding Catalyst. Four years before that, The Oaks Stud also won the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) with Risque.
“It’s always a huge honour to win a race like this,” The Oaks Stud general manager Rick Williams said. “We’ve been lucky enough to be on the receiving end of Al Basti Equiworld’s generous sponsorship a couple of times now.
“It’s fitting that we won this race today with Pam Gerard. A few years ago, when she was an assistant trainer with Te Akau, she came down here with our filly Risque and spent about three months here with her during that spring. She ended up winning the 1000 Guineas, so as far as I’m concerned, Pam and The Oaks Stud are two-from-two together now.
“Sam Spratt is riding at the absolute peak of her powers as well. I really appreciate the way she’s stuck with this horse and the relationship she’s formed with him.
“He’s just an exceptional colt, and I’m hoping we’ll see a bit more of that in the future.”
That could include the inaugural $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) at Ellerslie in March. The Canterbury Jockey Club owns a slot for the lucrative race, with the connections of the 2000 Guineas winner having the first option to negotiate the use of their slot. The 2000 Guineas is also a bonus-eligible race, meaning Savaglee’s connections could have the chance to compete for an additional $1m in bonuses if he lines up in the NZB Kiwi.
– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
