Savabeel 5YO back in fine style

Fresh legs carried talented Savabeel five-year-old Poison Chalice to an impressive opening victory of his spring campaign at Caulfield this afternoon.

The Paul Preusker-trained representative successfully resumed over 1400 metres following a break after a two-start winter campaign in Brisbane.

“It didn’t quite go to plan in Queensland and Paul did a lot of work with him when he got back home,” stable representative Sonya Brockenbauer said.

“He’s always gone well first-up so we were quietly confident and he got the job done again.

“We’ll get him home and assess him and then Paul will decide where we go next.”

The Waikato Stud-bred and sold Poison Chalice settled fifth away from the fence before picking up ground wide near the turn and he finished resolutely for the fifth win of his 12-start career.

“I went all the way to Ararat to ride him and he trialled enormously, so I was super keen to stick with him,” winning rider Thomas Stockdale said.

“He travelled strongly throughout and always felt like he was going to let rip, like he did at the 200.”

Poison Chalice is raced by the Ultra Horse Syndicate after they purchased for A$350,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

A half-brother to multiple winners Pins Prince and Neighbourhood, he is a son of the O’Reilly mare Urban who is a half-sister to the G3 South Island Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes winner Residential.

Since Poison Chalice, Urban has produced three fillies by Savabeel and is again in foal again to the multiple Champion Sire.

Urban’s Savabeel filly was purchased by Te Akau’s David Ellis at the Gold Coast earlier this year and the dam is again due to foal to the multiple champion stallion.