Savabeel colt lights up sale ring

Waikato Stud’s son of Savabeel attracted widespread interest during the opening session of the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale in Sydney this afternoon before he was knocked down for A$320,000.

Offered through Royston and Catriona Murphy’s Sledmere Stud draft, Lot 75 was the subject of spirited bidding before trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott with Kestrel Thoroughbreds’ Bruce Slade had the final say.

The colt is out of the O’Reilly mare Miracle Miss, who won five races and was third in the G3 Taranaki Cup and fourth in the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas.

She has carried on the good work in her broodmare role and has produced the Listed Wellesley S. winner and multiple Group 3 placegetter Maritimo.

Her brother is Natural Storm and the son of Pins has twice been successful in Hong Kong while a half-brother Witsabouthim won two of his three starts from Tony Pike’s stable.

The Savabeel 4-year-old subsequently relocated to Trent and Natalie Young’s Cranbourne operation after prominent owner Ozzie Kheir became involved in the ownership group, which includes Waikato Stud, and was a last-start fourth.

It is also the family of the Matamata farm’s two-time Group 3 winner and Group 1 performer Dating.

Miracle Miss has also produced a yearling son of Savabeel and a colt last year by Super Seth, who she revisited.

The stud’s other offering on Day One at Riverside Stables was a son of Tivaci, Lot 150, who sold to agent Jeff Gordon for $280,000.

The colt is out of the winning Savabeel mare Popular, a blood sister to the Listed Gingernuts Salver winner and G1 New Zealand Derby runner-up Milford.

The second dam It Girl, by O’Reilly, is a sister to the late four-time Group 1 winner and successful sire Sacred Falls.

Popular has foaled colts to Tivaci in the last two seasons and was served in 2021 by Ocean Park.