Royal Stakes next target for Anevay

Moment To Savour lived up to his name for connections at Warrnambool yesterday when he got his first strike on the board. The well-related son of Savabeel was resuming after a seven month break for trainer Peter Moody when successful over 1200 metres in the hands of apprentice Jake Noonan.

Bred by WS, Moment To Savour was a $160,000 buy at the 2008 Premier Sale at Karaka for Moody and is a half-brother to four multiple winners including the triple Gr 1 star Metal Bender (Randwick Guineas, Rosehill Guineas, Doomben Cup). They are out of the Bluebird mare Jaqwin who won three times in Australia and is a half-sister to the Gr 1 Goodwood Handicap winner and successful sire Keeper.

WS had also enjoyed success in Queensland the previous day with another grandson of Bluebird when the Commands three-year-old Turenne won over 1200 metres at Ipswich. His dam Bardot is a half-sister to the multiple Gr 2 winner Staging who has produced the Gr 1 winners Duporth (BTC Cup) and Excites (AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes) as well as the Gr 2 winner Tickets (Pago Pago Stakes).

Turenne was originally purchased out of WS’s 2009 Premier Sale draft for $57,500 by Danny O’Brien. He was a winner from a handful of starts for the leading Melbourne trainer before transferring to the stable of Alicia Willick. The gelding had finished runner-up in his debut from her Gold Coast yard before his Ipswich victory.