Savvy Buy from NZ Ready to Run

New Zealand Bloodstock�s Ready to Run graduate Savvy Nature (NZ) (Savabeel) was the impressive winner of the Group 3 A$150,000 Coca-Cola Spring Stakes (1600m) at Newcastle yesterday to continue a winning week for the Sale.

Following the stakes success of Super Ninetyseven (Show a Heart) in Singapore on Sunday evening, along with four other winners on that card, the Ready to Run Sale is hitting its straps at the right time with the Sale fast-approaching.

The John O�Shea trained three-year-old produced a dominant display at Newcastle�s feature meeting, disposing of a quality three-year-old field with a length-and-a-half victory over 1600m.

O�Shea has high aspirations for Savvy Nature.

�He is a very, very nice horse. He is by a stallion I like. He showed a great turn of foot and is going to be very competitive when he gets to a mile and a half,� commented O�Shea. �He will go to the Spring Champion Stakes and the VRC Derby.�

�He met all the criteria at last year�s Sale. We went over specifically to buy him after watching his breeze-up clip and looking at his pedigree, his pedigree is what appealed to us.�

Bred by ABP Enterprises Ltd, Angus Taylor Family Trust, Little Avondale Trust & Storm Thoroughbreds Ltd, the son of resident Waikato Stud sire Savabeel is out of the Carnegie mare Generous Nature. His second dam is the Listed winner and Group 1 Blue Diamond runner-up La Lagune (Danehill).

Ridden by leading New Zealand jockey James McDonald, Savvy Nature settled midfield in the 12-horse field and dashed to the front at the top of the straight. The pair established a winning break and went to the line comfortably carrying the colours of Whitby Bloodstock.

�Turn of foot, my colours, James McDonald, Savabeel, it was like the good old days after Scarlet Lady and the rest of them,� said delighted part-owner Max Whitby.

�We bought him last year. After racing Savabeel I still have got a lot of interest in him and race a lot of his progeny. I looked at all the Savabeels at the Ready to Run Sale last year and had him out two or three times. I thought I might have had to pay $100,000 - $130,000 for him but obviously had to pay $200,000 for him.

�He travelled well to Australia and showed something early in the piece. We took him down to Kembla Grange, he won exceptionally impressively by five or six lengths. Then we gave him in another run at Canterbury midweek just to get the pipes open and got beaten by Gai Waterhouse�s Romantic Touch. That was enough so we put him out, gelded him and here we are today.

�The aim is the Group 1 Spring Champions Stakes on 12 October, which his father won, so that will be a bit more history. He might have a run before then so the Gloaming Stakes will probably fit in.

�We are then thinking of a Melbourne campaign to race in the Derby and the Vase on the way. The Derby is the ultimate, his father just got beaten in the Derby by a horse called Plastered after winning the Cox Plate the week before so it could be a nice bit of d�j� vu.�

Whitby praised the Karaka Ready to Run Sale and is looking forward to being a part of the Sale this year.

�I will be there! As I have said to my agent I am sick of waiting for yearlings to come through and the Ready to Run suits me just nice.

�I have sold and bought there in the past, of no significance, but I am going to give it a bit more attention this time. In fact I have been talking with Chris Waller and we might have a bit of an extensive campaign over there this year.�

The gelding came into the race having only had three previous raceday starts which had yielded a win and two placings. With yesterday�s feature race win Savvy Nature has now earned A$119,150 in prizemoney.

John O�Shea purchased the Savabeel gelding for $200,000 at the 2012 Ready to Run Sale from Lyndhurst Farm for Whitby Bloodstock Pty Ltd, Mr G M Brown, Mr J D Melick, Mrs J Melick, Mrs S L Pilkington, Mr N G Rockley, Mr A M Rowley-Bates, Placanica, Mr T St James & Mrs R St James.