Diademe Opens a Stellar Day for Savabeel

Promising mare Diademe opened a brilliant day for her sire Savabeel at Ellerslie yesterday producing a career best performance to win the $70,000 Group 3 Westbury Classic (1400m).

Diademe (Savabeel x Bling) has been racing in good company in recent starts having run second in the Group 2 Cal Isuzu Stakes and third in the Group 2 Rich Hill Mile at her last start, justifying her connections’ high opinion of her with yesterday’s victory.

Diademe is the 23rd stakes winner for Savabeel who celebrated a Group double yesterday

Despite dropping in grade to a Group 3 race, the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman trained mare had to be good yesterday as she was amongst a genuine Group 1 quality field. And the four-year-old did it tough, taking the lead half-way through the race and holding her rivals down the lengthy Ellerslie straight to win by one-and-a-quarter-lengths.

The Group 3 was the first leg of a stakes double for her sire Savabeel, and for jockey Opie Bosson, who combined to win the Group 1 Auckland Cup with Sangster later in the meeting.

“She is a good mare and I was confident she would race well,” said Murray Baker.

“She is a good weight-for-age horse and she was only just beaten by Shez Sinsational in the Group 2 Cal Isuzu Stakes so her form is very strong.

“We will look to take her to the Group 2 New Zealand Japan Trophy at her next start and then to the Group 1 NZ Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes. She holds a nomination for the Group 1 Doncaster Mile in Sydney so we will decide whether to contest that race after she has raced in the Group 1 here.”

Raced by Scott Richardson Bloodstock, Diademe boasts impressive career stats having now won four of her eight starts and never finishing further back than third for over $90,000 in stakes.

Bred by Garry Chittick, Diademe was purchased by Scott Richardson Bloodstock from Waikato Stud at the 2010 Karaka Premier Sale for $50,000.

Diademe is the 23rd stakes winner for Savabeel who has made a great start to his stud career with his oldest progeny just six-year-olds. He is the sire of three Group 1 winners: triple Group 1 winner Sangster, dual Group 1 winner Scarlett Lady and last season’s Group 1 Queensland Derby winner Brambles.