Hot group one run continues

WS was the dominant Group One player at the Hawke’s Bay spring carnival after their home-bred mare Costume triumphed in the final leg of the Triple Crown series. The daughter of resident sire Savabeel and the O’Reilly mare Disguised dived through late to claim the Livamol Spring Classic at odds of better than 50-1.

The Matamata farm’s colours had also been carried to victory in the Gr.1 Makfi Challenge Stakes by the grand mare I Do, who then finished runner-up in the Gr.1 Windsor Park on the middle day of the Hastings meeting. Stud principal Mark Chittick is a part-owner and co-breeder of I Do while his father Garry had sole honours on Saturday as the breeder-owner of Costume. Memories of a past Spring Classic success for the stud were also revived in the previous event when Wolfwhistle, a son of the Chittick family’s 2006 winner Legs, was successful in the Trinity Hill Homage Handicap.

The winner of the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes in February, Costume is trained at Tuhikaramea by Graeme and Debbie Rogerson. “Debbie has done a great job with this mare and Garry and Mark have supported her so it’s just wonderful,” Graeme Rogerson said. Costume, who has been served by Pins, settled back in the field and rider Michael Coleman was able to thread his way through the field and dive home late for a narrow victory. “I got a good run to the corner and it got a little bit tight between runners in the straight before she stuck her head out at the right time,” Coleman said.