Winning strike for Savabeel 3YO
Okataina produced a gallant effort to shed his maiden tag at Kembla Grange on Saturday afternoon.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained son of Savabeel had been a multiple placegetter before breaking through with a dominant front-running performance over 1600 metres.
Okataina was quickly into stride to make the running under rider Adam Hyeronimus and was cruising at the top of the straight.
The three-year-old forged clear with 350 metres to run and held a sustained gallop to score at his eighth appearance.
He was bred by Waikato Stud, who remain in the ownership group, and is the first foal of the American-bred Shackleford mare Mystery Lake.
She is a half-sister to the stakes winner Great Notion and a family that has made its black type mark in New Zealand through the Listed winners One Kiss (Canterbury Belle S.) and Santa Catarina (Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre S.).
Mystery Lake’s Savabeel colt was sold to trainer Anthony Cummings for A$200,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
She produced a Savabeel filly last year and is in foal to Super Seth.
Ardrossan’s Group 1-placed darling wins A$300,000 Gr.2 HKJC World Pool Wakeful Stakes
Second and fourth in 1600m Group 1 races in her two previous starts since being purchased privately by OTI Racing and stepping out in Australia under Chris Waller’s racing banner, De Armas (Ardrossan) stepped up in distance at Flemington on Saturday and opened her Australian account in style in the A$300,000 Gr.2 HKJC World Pool Wakeful Stakes (2000m) on Derby Day.
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The Corner with Garry Chittick
The writing of my Corner started many years ago, motivated by an irritation that I felt needed scratching. It was never my intention to make my commentary regular; neither did I intend to reinvent the direction of racing administration. It is both disappointing and ironical that what should be a simple, straightforward business provides a regular need for comment.
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