Progressive Paternal lands another winning blow

Paternal continued the impressive start he has made to his career with further success at Goulburn on Tuesday afternoon.

The three-year-old son of Savabeel has now won two of his three starts and looks to be on his way to tackling better age group races, possibly a tilt at the G1 ATC Derby.

“He’s a very progressive horse and got the job done well today. It’s onwards and upwards for him now,” trainer Chris Waller’s representative Jason Patrick said.

Paternal settled in fifth spot on the outer and rider Hugh Bowman drove him between runners in the straight to score by a neck in the gelding’s first crack at 1600 metres.

“He’d had a couple of runs this prep and it was pretty testing ground out there. He had a fitness edge at the mile,” Bowman said.

“I just had him where he was comfortable and got into the right spot and he was good enough to capitalise.”

Bred and sold by Waikato Stud, Paternal was a $280,000 Karaka purchase for Hiwi Lodge, is raced by Orbis Bloodstock and is out of the O’Reilly mare O’Dianne, who was a juvenile winner and ran fourth in the Karaka Million. 

Both of her foals to race are now winners – her first Paternal’s brother The Mighty Spar, who has also won on two occasions from limited appearances.

O’Dianne, whose unraced Savabeel filly named Avebury sold to John O’Shea at the Gold Coast last year for AU$200,000, foaled a Super Seth colt last year and revisited the stallion.

She is out of the G3 Frances Tressady S. winner Breezy and the family of the Waikato Stud-bred multiple Group 1 winner and successful sire Starcraft.