Group One racemares I Do and Xanadu confirmed for Savabeel

Source: THE INFORMANT, Dennis Ryan

Group One racemares I Do and Xanadu have both been confirmed for mating with leading young Waikato Stud sire Savabeel.

Xanadu’s retirement was announced following her disappointing effort in Saturday’s Gr. 1 Windsor Park Plate and late yesterday co-owner John Gilbert told www.theinformant.co.nz that the dual Group One winner would visit Savabeel.

Hard on the heels of that announcement, Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick this morning confirmed that I Do’s racing career will be briefly interrupted while she visits Savabeel later this week.

I Do, who Chittick owns in partnership with trainer Allan Sharrock, has been in a purple patch of form and is expected to race next in the Gr. 3 Taranaki Breeders’ Stakes at Hawera on October 11. The No Excuse Needed mare followed her Gr. 1 Makfi Challenge Stakes at Hastings last month with a brave second in Saturday’s Windsor Park Plate.

“She came up here direct from Hastings on Saturday night and is looking good for mating with Savabeel on Thursday,” Chittick said. “All going to plan she’ll then return to Allan and run next in the Taranaki Stakes followed by the Captain Cook Stakes later in October.”

By the time that Group One 1600-metre Trentham race comes around, it will be known whether I Do has conceived and if the news is positive she may have just one further start, the Gr. 1 Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

“We’ve talked about it and Allan’s keen to have a crack at 2000 metres, so as long as her form holds up that’s the way we’ll probably go,” Chittick added.

Chittick was full of admiration for the grey’s effort for second on the weekend, going down by a half-neck to Pure Champion after having to race wide from an outside gate.

“Opie (Bosson) said it got really tough when she hit that headwind but she never stopped trying. What she’s done has been fantastic and if she’s got another two or three runs in her, well and good.”