Magic In Melbourne

28 May 2012

WS graduates were again to the fore in Melbourne yesterday with a double at the Cranbourne meeting. Moment To Savour (pictured as foal left) started the ball rolling when he was a runway winner in his return to distance racing and later in the programme the four-year-old Bondarenko crushed her opposition.

A son of Savabeel, Moment To Savour was a $160,000 buy for trainer Peter Moody at Karaka in 2008 and is a half-brother to WS’s four-time Gr 1 winner Metal Bender (George Ryder Stakes, Doombven Cup, Randwick Guineas, Rosehill Guineas). They are out of the Bluebird mare Jacqwin, whoi is a half-sister to the Gr 1 Goodwood Handicap winner and successful sire Keeper.

A $40,000 Select Sale purchase in 2009, Bondarenko in now unbeaten in two appearances from Troy Corsten’s Flemington stable since her return from Sydney. She is out of the Zabeel mare Match Point, who is a half-sister to the Garry Chittick-bred and raced Gr 1 Otaki-Maori WFA winner Critic.

Ardrossan’s Group 1-placed darling wins A$300,000 Gr.2 HKJC World Pool Wakeful Stakes

Second and fourth in 1600m Group 1 races in her two previous starts since being purchased privately by OTI Racing and stepping out in Australia under Chris Waller’s racing banner, De Armas (Ardrossan) stepped up in distance at Flemington on Saturday and opened her Australian account in style in the A$300,000 Gr.2 HKJC World Pool Wakeful Stakes (2000m) on Derby Day.

30 October 2026

The Corner with Garry Chittick

The writing of my Corner started many years ago, motivated by an irritation that I felt needed scratching. It was never my intention to make my commentary regular; neither did I intend to reinvent the direction of racing administration. It is both disappointing and ironical that what should be a simple, straightforward business provides a regular need for comment.