Synchronize gets timing right to set up winning double

Synchronize brought her excellent trial form to the races when the Jamie Richards-trained daughter of Savabeel opened her career with stirring debut victory this afternoon on her home turf at Matamata.

The Waikato Stud-bred and sold filly led off a winning double for the Chittick family’s farm and its resident champion stallion along with Te Akau Racing as The Mighty Spar later posted his breakthrough success.

Synchronize made her first appearance in the NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race off the back of three trial successes and was backed into odds-on favouritism.

Rider Danielle Johnson settled the Jamie Richards-trained Synchronize in the trail and was off the fence before the turn to allow the 2-year-old to stretch out stylishly in the closing 250 metres and cruise home by 1.75l.

“She’s showed she can operate on top of the ground, but we did think she would handle the soft track,” Richards said. “She’s a very promising filly.”

Synchronize was a $280,000 purchase for Te Akau’s David Ellis at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale and is a daughter of the unraced O’Reilly mare Splits.

“She’s by a good stallion and from a good family so she’s got a few things in her corner,” Richards said.

Splits is a sister to the stakes winner Wolfwhistle and they are out of the dual Group 1 winner Legs and also the family of the dual top-flight winner and sire Xtravagant with Sixty Seconds, Guyno and Tiptronic other Group 1 winners in the pedigree.

All three of Splits’ foals have now been successful and she produced a filly foal by Ocean Park in 2020.

The Mighty Spar was settled at the tail of the field by Opie Bosson before angling widest at the top of the straight and the 3-year-old let down strongly to win the Bob Black Shivaree Memorial going away.

“He’s just needed a bit of time and he’s a nice cut of a horse,” Richards said.

The Mighty Spar was a $430,000 Karaka purchase for Ellis and is the first foal of the O’Reilly mare O’Dianne, a 2-year-old winner from the family of the multiple international and domestic Group 1 winner and sire Starcraft.