Tivaci juvenile impresses on debut

Tivaci was represented by his first 2-year-old winner when his daughter Wolverine produced a dashing debut display at Otaki this afternoon.

The Waikato Stud stallion has made a cracking start to his career with six success stories from limited numbers to race from his first crop, which features the Chittick family’s G1 Flight S. winner and G1 Spring Champion S. runner-up Never Been Kissed.

Wolverine sat just off the pace in a small field and when rider Lisa Allpress asked her to quicken in the straight she responded positively to score comfortably by 1l.

She is trained by Roydon Bergerson and hinted at a bold showing at the first time of asking when she won a lead-up trial over 850 metres at Foxton.

“Before that she had only had a couple of gallops up the straight and one over 600 metres. She is a really determined filly and doesn’t like being bossed around, she just gets on with the job,” part-owner Bergerson said.

With noted judge Chris Rutten, he purchased Wolverine from Waikato Stud’s draft at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale for $50,000.

She is out of the O’Reilly mare Knew It, who made a return visit to Tivaci this season, is a grand-daughter of the G1 Otaki Maori WFA S. winner Critic.

It is a potent family that includes the late, great O’Reilly, the multiple Group 1 winner and resident stallion Ocean Park and the elite level winners Grunt and Prince Kaapstad.