Stakes target for progressive Nereus

Savabeel’s exciting son Nereus produced a flawless dress rehearsal performance at Trentham on Saturday afternoon for an upcoming black-type assignment.

The four-year-old had been freshened since finishing runner-up in the Remutaka Classic over 2100 metres on the track in January and successfully dropped back to a mile on his return under 60kg.

“He’s a pretty serious horse this guy and he’s got the pedigree, the temperament and just does enough to win,” co-trainer Shaune Ritchie said.

“He’ll get in the Hawke’s Bay Cup (Listed, 2200m) with a light weight, that’s in four weeks’ time so he’ll go straight into it.”

Bred and raced by Waikato Stud, Nereus dropped to the back of the field and came with a powerful finish in the run home to post his fourth win from seven starts and gave the runner-up 6kg in the process.

“He’s a lovely horse and has got a very good amount of ability,” rider Michael McNab said.

“I had a lot of confidence in him, he switched off and when I brought him to the outside he was really good.”

Nereus is a brother to the two-time Group 1 winner Savvy Coup with their dam the Pins mare Eudora, who is in foal to Super Seth.

She is a sister to the Group winners Legless Veuve and Tootsie, dam of the three-time Group 2 winner and sire Ocean Emperor and the mother of Waikato Stud’s G1 Flight Stakes winner Never Been Kissed.

The other star member of this family is the four-time elite level winner Probabeel.