12 Stakes Winners for Savabeel

New Zealand's hot young sire Savabeel continued his successful run across the Tasman on Saturday with his son Zara Dancer (NZ) proving too good in the $100,000 Listed Frank Underwood Cup (1900m).

Trained by Jim & Greg Lee and ridden by Adam Hyeronimus, Zara Dancer (Savabeel x Blanchard) was allowed to stride to the front in transit and was full of running at the turn, maintaining his lead down the straight to win by a quarter of a length.

The victory was Zara Dancer's first this preparation after contesting the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes, Group 1 George Main Stakes and Group 3 Craven Plate this season.

A winner of four of his 22 career starts, Saturday's stakes victory was the five-year-old's first at black-type level.

His sire Savabeel is having a strong season in Australia headlined by his Group 1 VRC Derby winning son, the Karaka graduate Sangster (NZ).

Now the sire of 12 stakes winners including Group 1 winners Scarlett Lady and Sangster, eight of these black-type winners have been on Australian tracks, where the son of Zabeel boasts a winners to runners ratio of 65%.

Bred by Graeme Rogerson and Windsor Park Stud, Zara Dancer raced in New Zealand where he had 15 starts for three wins and four placings under trainer Bruce Wallace before being taken to Australia.

The son of Savabeel was purchased by Wallace Thoroughbreds from Windsor Park Stud at New Zealand Bloodstock's 2008 Karaka Premier Sale for $200,000.