History beckons Savabeel’s outstanding son

Kawi is within touching distance of his slice of New Zealand racing history, but whether he gets the chance to rewrite the record book is up in the air. The star son of Savabeel earned a gold star for bravery when he overcame a horror run to claim Saturday’s Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate at Hastings following his previous victory there in the Gr.1 Makfi Challenge Stakes.

Kawi is now on the verge of completing the first ever Triple Crown clean sweep if his winning sequence can also take in the Gr.1 Livamol Classic on October 1. “It’s tempting, but I’ve got to talk to the owners on Sunday morning,” trainer Allan Sharrock said. “He’s done it hard today and they still couldn’t get passed him. He’s the best I’ve trained and I’ve had a few good ones.”

Kawi is in line for a trip to Australia with options there including the Gr.1 Mackinnon Stakes in Melbourne and the Perth features – the Gr.1 Railway Stakes and the Gr.1 Kingston Town Classic, but the lure of completing the domestic Triple Crown will be hard to resist.

The six-year-old is currently in the company of outstanding performers such as Starcraft and Seachange, who both kept their hopes alive until the final contest. Starcraft, who subsequently enjoyed European Group One success, won the first two legs in 2004 before he finished runner-up to Balmuse in the closing event. The mighty mare Seachange was twice on course to scoop the pool after she won the first two events in 2006 and in 2007, but the step up to 2000 metres in the classic proved a touch beyond her and she ran third and fourth in her attempts for glory.

The Livamol trip shouldn’t be an issue for Kawi, who was caught out on a limb without cover on Saturday, but he flattened out resolutely in the straight to beat the mares Mime and Rasa Lila. “We didn’t have much luck out three wide so full credit to the horse, he dug deep,” rider Leith Innes said. “It didn’t go to plan and he still won.”