Cup Star Sangster Sets Sights Overseas
7 March 2013
Last season’s Group 1 VRC Derby winner Sangster was all the rage heading into yesterday’s $500,000 Group 1 Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Cup (3200m) and he turned New Zealand’s premier staying event into a one-horse race with a brilliant and memorable performance.
Sangster (Savabeel x Quinta Special) came into the race off back-to-back wins in the Group 1 International Stakes and Group 2 Avondale Cup and punters showed little interest in any other runner as he was backed into a hot $2 days before yesterday’s race.
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Sangster will head overseas for his next start with |
Trained by Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young, the four-year-old showed his intentions early in the race when jumping a length clear of the field, ensuring he had the box seat for the 3200 metre trip. Rounding the turn jockey Opie Bosson elected to take Sangster to the lead and that proved the winning of the race as the son of Savabeel tore from the field to win by 2.5 lengths from El Soldado (Colombia) who ran a brave second and Chaparrone (High Chaparral) who took third.
“It was a good performance and it was what we expected from him,” said Trent Busuttin.
“We were hopeful that he would get the distance and he did it tough too hitting the front that far from home. He did start to tire in the final stages of the straight but he did it very well.”
Busuttin and Young have been busy mapping out the next step for Sangster and there are plenty of options on the table.
“We would like to take him to the Singapore Cup but the quarantine conditions make it a tough choice as the trip home requires six weeks in quarantine which would effectively take away the spring,” said Busuttin.
“The other option is the Group 1 BMW Stakes in Sydney in around a month and that is something we are looking at as well. For a race like that he is going to have to take another step up and really prove himself at weight-for-age level.”
Given the performance Sangster produced yesterday, the spring Cups in Australia also come into consideration but Busuttin is well aware of the challenges those races pose.
“A race like the Melbourne Cup attracts some outstanding horses including the European stayers who are some of the best in the world but in saying that it’s a $6 million race and it would be great to have a runner.”
Sangster is raced by Martin Bradley, Tom Heptinstall, Kevin O'Brien, M Fenwick, K Greenlees, D Kneebone and L & T Stewart and has now won six of his 19 starts, three at Group 1 level, for over $1.8 million in stakes.
Bred by Eblem Ltd, Sangster was offered by Windsor Park Stud at the 2010 Karaka Select Sale before being purchased by Trent Busuttin from Kilgravin Lodge at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2010 Ready to Run Sale for $22,000.
Sangster capped off a great day for his sire Savabeel who celebrated a Group double with his daughter Diademe winning the Group 3 Westbury Stud Classic (1400m) earlier on the card.