Hivari back in fine style

Genuine four-year-old Hivari (ex Heartfelt) looks set for a lucrative preparation following a tidy first-up victory on his home track at Riccarton this afternoon.

The son of Tivaci was making his first appearance since a winter campaign but was produced in tip-top condition by trainer Meg Cuneen and duly obliged over 1200 metres.

“I was going to trial him, but I thought we’d come straight to the races and I’ve always thought a lot of this horse,” she said.

The Waikato Stud graduate settled three back on the fence before rider Corey Campbell angled into the clear at the top of the straight.

The gelding finished resolutely to take his record to two wins and three placings from nine appearances.

“It’s been a very good training effort, I was able to get across heels at the junction and he found the line with a lot of improvement to come,” Campbell said.

A half-brother three winners, Hivari is out of the unraced O’Reilly mare Heartfelt who is a half-sister to the G3 South Island Breeders’ Stakes winner Metropolitan.

Lindsay Park went to $150,000 to secure Heartfelt’s son of Super Seth, now named Forceofone, at Karaka earlier this year.