Kiwi mare in running for Hong Kong

10 November 2015

New Zealand-owned mare Lucia Valentina (NZ) (Savabeel) may receive an opportunity to star farther afield. Trainer Kris Lees is hopeful the last-start Gr.2 Matriarch Stakes winner will be invited to run in the Gr.1 Hong Kong Cup on December 13.

“I think she can be competitive in any 2000 metre race when she’s in form,” he said.

The Lib Petagna-raced Lucia Valentina is a dual Group One winner over 2000 metres, having won the Turnbull Stakes and the Vinery Stud Stakes. -NZ Racing Desk

Savabeel: 2001—2026

Savabeel walked through our gates in 2005 and never stopped giving. Twenty-one years on, we said goodbye to our old friend, a horse who didn’t just shape a breeding industry, he defined one. There will never be another quite like him. Rest easy, Sav.

13 June 2026

The Corner with Garry Chittick

I gave The Corner a miss last week. After all, how could I compete with the expose Mike Guerin published in the NZ Herald. Let’s be fair, I am sure the two of you who …