Wee Nessy breaks her maiden in style
Savabeel’s influence continues to build momentum, with his three-year-old daughter Wee Nessy delivering an impressive maiden victory at Ellerslie on Monday, 27 April.
Dominant over 1400 metres, the Barbara Kennedy-trained filly proved far too strong for her rivals, surging clear late to score by 1.67 lengths in a competitive 15-horse field. Positioned midfield and three-wide throughout, jockey Warren Kennedy made a decisive move approaching the 500m, sweeping into contention before Wee Nessy lengthened stride and put the race beyond doubt inside the final furlong.
Bred and raced by Lyn Salvidge and Bruce Amies, Wee Nessy is the second foal out of the Group 2-winning and Group-placed mare Contessa Vanessa.
The victory marked yet another milestone for Waikato Stud’s champion sire, becoming Savabeel’s 1057th individual winner while pushing his progeny earnings beyond $208 million.
With his 2026 book now set to private, the ten-time New Zealand Champion Sire continues to underline his enduring impact on the Australasian breeding landscape, currently sitting second on the premiership within striking distance of the lead.
The Corner with Garry Chittick
It would appear I now have to continue my weekly Corner with the amount of rumblings at the start of our new racing season. I have been around long enough to know we can never please all; my tenure as Chairman of the Racing Board was subjected to as much vitriol as subsequent Boards have had to bear, so what’s different this time, or is it different.
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First foal for Waikato’s Group 1 winner Skew Wiff
Group 1-winning Savabeel mare Skew Wiff (ex Starvoia), known affectionately as ‘Wiffy’, foaled a filly by Super Seth in the early hours of Wednesday, 5 August.
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