Sav charges toward Zabeel’s 166 stakes winners

Waikato Stud celebrated another stakes success for its remarkable homebred programme on Saturday, as did its statesman sire who recorded stakes winner 159, when promising Savabeel filly Solid Gold (ex Gram) captured the Gr.3 Trelawney Stud Championship Stakes (2100m) at Ellerslie.

A daughter of Waikato Stud’s champion sire Savabeel, Solid Gold took another major step forward with the performance, backing up her maiden victory over 1600m at Ellerslie with a deserved black-type success.

Raced by her breeders Waikato Stud, Solid Gold is out of the O’Reilly mare Gram and is the younger sister of multiple Australian stakes winner Major Beel, whose six career victories include the 2024 Gr.1 ATC Derby (2400m).

Dominating the market as a $2.60 favourite, the Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained filly was given every chance by George Rooke, settling comfortably in midfield before looming strongly approaching the home turn.

The pair went stride for stride over the concluding stages, but Solid Gold showed the trademark toughness so often associated with Savabeel’s progeny, lifting again late to edge ahead on the line. Stablemate Glance battled on gamely for third.

Wellwood was delighted with her performance and the way in which the filly made good use of a handy barrier draw.

“She hasn’t had a lot of luck with gates and the like so it was nice to finally see her draw well (3) and especially for her first time over ground,” Wellwood said. “She is a good horse, simple as that and she has put a couple together so we will now have a chat with Mark and Pip (Chittick) and make a bit of a plan (for her).”

“Brisbane is still an option but we won’t make any decisions until we have had a chat with her connections.”

While Savabeel’s book is set to private for the 2026 breeding season, the statesman continues to deliver in the sales ring and on the racetrack, this season having sired eight new stakes winners and closing in on his sire Zabeel’s 166 stakes winners’ record.