Sense of timing about Watchmaker
Watchmaker’s odds for the G1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas have been slashed in the wake of his maiden success today at Riccarton.
The Waikato Stud graduate had been around the mark in his three previous appearances and the Michael and Matthew Pitman-trained 3-year-old showed his appreciation of the step up to 1400 metres with a commanding victory.
The son of Pins was at a $101 chance for next month’s Guineas and has now been trimmed down to $40.
The well-named gelding is out of the unraced O’Reilly mare Tick Tock and the family of the G1 Arrowfield Stud S. winner Sixty Seconds and her G3 Manawatu Classic-winning sister Spottswoode.
It is also the family of the two-time Group 1 winner and sire Xtravagant and Legs, who was also twice successful at the highest level.
Watchmaker was purchased by Brewers Bloodstock at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $75,000 and is raced by the Coupland and Bruford families.
The Corner with Garry Chittick
No Corner last week; this week the Annual Thoroughbred Racing Awards night certainly deserves acknowledgment. It is the second of two nights of measurement of Thoroughbred achievements for the year, with the first focussing on our Breeders’ awards.
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Savabeel’s Group 1 daughter Belle Cheval retired
Belle Cheval, by champion sire Savabeel, enjoyed a stellar career: placing in the NZ 1000 Guineas, winning the Almanzor Trophy and Uncle Remus Stakes, finishing second in The Kiwi, then claiming Group 1 glory in Australia’s Vinery Stud Stakes before retiring to broodmare duties.
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