Right Call With Smart Tivaci 3YO

Riccarton trainer Meg Cunneen pulled the right rein when she decided to give promising three-year-old Hivari his chance at a shorter trip.

The Waikato Stud graduate had acquitted himself well when runner-up in good age group company at his previous outing and he took advantage of a drop back in class to score over 1200 metres on his home all-weather track.

“We weighed up the option of running in the three-year-old race over 1400 metres but thought we’d try and get the maiden out of the way,” Cunneen said.

“He’s a lot more professional now, it’s taken a bit of time for the penny to drop, and it certainly has now.”

The son of Tivaci settled midfield before improving wide on the turn and he produced a resolute finish to win at his sixth outing.

Hivari had showed his potential last month when he ran second behind two-time winner Voice Over with Motiontime, who posted his fourth victory when successful earlier on the program, back in third.

“His training had been good since that last run, his mind is on the job and I couldn’t fault him,” Cunneen said.

“We were quietly confident of getting a win on the board.”

Havari is the fourth winner for the unraced O’Reilly mare Heartfelt, a half-sister to the G3 South Island Breeders’ Stakes winner Residential.

Heartfelt’s Super Seth colt sold to Lindsay Park at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale earlier this year for $150,000 and she produced a son of Ardrossan last season.