Nereus adds to family roll of honour

Progressive four-year-old Nereus completed a weekend family double when he took another winning step at Hastings on Sunday afternoon toward a lucrative target.

The Waikato Stud-bred and raced son of Savabeel is a half-brother to Valhalla, who posted the third win of his career when the Ocean Park gelding triumphed at Happy Valley in Hong Kong on Friday evening.

Nereus has now been victorious in three of his five starts for trainers Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray and successfully stepped up 2100 metres at Hastings in the hands of Michael McNab.

“He’s the first horse we’ve had for Waikato Stud and we’re very grateful to get one of such quality,” Ritchie said.

Nereus is now set for a return visit to the Central Districts for his next appearance in the $350,000 Remutaka Classic at Trentham on January 20.

“He’s already won at Wellington and we think he’ll probably go in as the likely favourite and will take all sorts of beating again,” Ritchie said.

Nereus settled in third spot off the fence this afternoon before making his run wide before the turn and forged clear in the run home to win with authority.

“It’s the sign of a good horse when they can put out a couple of lengths and he’s done that twice with 59kg so he can carry weight,” Ritchie said.

Nereus is a brother to the two-time Group 1 winner Savvy Coup with their dam the Pins mare Eudora.

She is a sister to the Group winners Legless Veuve and Tootsie, dam of the three-time Group 2 winner and sire Ocean Emperor and the mother of Waikato Stud’s G1 Flight Stakes winner Never Been Kissed.

The other star member of this family is the four-time elite level winner Probabeel.