Pins’ son reigns supreme

Savabeel earned his Gr 1 stripes in spectacular fashion at Eagle Farm where his crack daughter Scarlett Lady caned her Queensland Oaks rivals. The outstanding three-year-old provided the WS stallion with his first victory at the top level and the intriguing question to be answered in the next few days is whether she will back up in the Queensland Derby next Saturday.

“She’s a freak and could be anything. She could go on to be something very, very special,” said Graeme Rogerson, who prepares Scarlett Lady with his wife Debbie. “She just keeps getting better and better. James (McDonald) said before the race she would just win. I’ll talk with Max (Whitby) about running her in the Derby when we fly back to New Zealand together.”

Whitby bought Scarlett Lady out of WS’s Premier Sale draft at Karaka for $25,000 in 2009 and, along with Rogerson who prepared Savabeel to win the Cox Plate, has been among her stallion’s greatest supporters. The gun three-year-old has now won six of her 10 starts and earned more than $A450,000.

“It was fantastic, it’s Savabeel’s first Gr 1 win,” Debbie Rogerson said. She was also full of praise for McDonald. “He’s very good, it was a ten out of ten ride,” she said. “He knows she’s got a massive turn of foot and he rode her to perfection. She’s just a lovely, lovely filly.”

Scarlett Lady settled well of the pace in the early stages before improving wide across the to and was devastating from the home turn when McDonald asked her the question. “I always intended to let her get back and relax because I knew she has a tremendous turn of foot,” he said. “I was always pretty happy even though she was well back. For a stayer she can really accelerate at the finish.”

The crack apprentice said he would be all in favour of Scarlett Lady backing up in the Derby next weekend. “It’s up to Graeme and Debbie and the owner, but if it was up to me, I’d love to see them have a crack. I wasn’t too worried that I was so far back today. I knew I was on the best horse.”