Savabeel’s son top of the 2YO tree
Sword Of Osman has taken pole position in the race for this season’s champion two-year-old honours. The slick son of Savabeel went to the top of the juvenile rankings when he produced another powerful front-running performance to win Saturday’s Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m) at Ellerslie off the back of his runaway success in the Group 3 Reid & Harrison Slipper (1200m).
Trained by Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards, Sword of Osman has now won three of his four starts with his sole defeat coming in the Karaka Million (1200m). Autridge said their pre-race Sistema plan was to let the gelding continue his customary pacemaking role and those instructions were perfectly executed by ride Opie Bosson, who had labelled the youngster a special talent before he had raced. “The whole race he relaxed beautifully in front,” Bosson said. “He changed legs a few times, but he just kept running. He’s very, very good.”
Sword Of Osman had a length and a quarter to spare on stablemate Avantage at the post with Spanish Whisper third ahead of Bocce. The favourite Melt ran sixth and looked to have her chance. “He’s amazing. He’s like a three-year-old now,” Bosson said. “I can’t wait for his three-year-old career.”
The Corner with Garry Chittick
I keep on proposing my retirement from the burden of a weekly Corner. I make the excuse it is hard to be credible, hard to let the two of you know about anything in our sport that hasn’t been covered before.
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WS-bred On The Lash scores at Sha Tin
Twenty-four hours following the final WS Cox Plate meeting run on the Moonee Valley track of old before it shuts for two years to make way for a new precinct, the race’s 2004 winner, Savabeel, continued his roll of runners, and this time it was via five-year-old On The Lash (ex Candelabra) at Sha Tin.
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