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Talking Points: Saturday 11th of January 2025

3 minute read

We head across the ditch for this week’s Talking Points.

SAVAGLEE winning the TOP KAT ROOFING LEVIN CLASSIC
SAVAGLEE winning the TOP KAT ROOFING LEVIN CLASSIC Picture: Race Images Photo

With the majority of the Magic Millions card postponed to Friday and a quiet week elsewhere on the home front, we look across to New Zealand with a good meeting at Trentham.

It's that time of year where some of the better horses in New Zealand start to put their hand up for a trip to Australia and that could certainly be the case with Savaglee, who won the Group 2 Levin Classic (1400m).

This is the first year the Levin Classic has been run over 1400m, formerly over a mile, and also the first year it's been downgraded to Group 2 status, but Savaglee has still run a Racing & Sports rating up there with the best.

Savaglee ran to 111 on the RAS scale, which is the equal highest rating in the Levin Classic we have on record since the race (formerly the Bayer Classic) became the Levin.

111 is actually a dip in Savaglee's rating, with the son of Savabeel having won his past four in ratings of 104-111-112-111, the 112 peak coming last start in the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas (1600m).

Dropping back to 1400m, for a horse that in reality probably wants 2000m was likely against here so to still effectively hold his rating is a good sign.

It's also worth noting he won the Guineas in a 114 time figure which is very strong, finding himself in a much slower race here back in trip, winning in a time figure of 86, sitting outside the leader in a dash home, which he still won easily.

Only Dances With Dragon has matched Savaglee's 111 rating in the Levin Classic, with that horse eventually ending up in Hong Kong.

Three horses have run to 110 to win the Levin Classic, including one Australian fans would know particularly well: Imperatriz.

The Levin was the first of her ten Group 1 wins, going on to win six at the top level in Australia and holding a peak rating of 126.

The others to run 110 in the Levin Classic have been Madison County (who also ran to 112 winning the Guineas the start prior) and Travelling Light.

Madison County probably isn't a bad comparison for Savaglee, he came to Australia with a bit of hype, bumping into The Autumn Sun in the Randwick Guineas before running second to Angel Of Truth in the ATC Derby, and I imagine Savaglee could end up on a similar path.

Going back to winners of the NZ 2000 Guineas, we see some more familiar faces.

Remembering Savaglee ran to 112, the highest rated winner of that race is comfortably Darci Brahma (already a G1 JJ Atkins winner) in 2005, running to 119 on the RAS scale before coming to Flemington for the Australian Guineas, where he ran to 117, only knocked off by the great Apache Cat.

He was also beaten by Apache Cat in the Phar Lap Stakes and then okay in the Rosehill Guineas when not really staying 2000m.

Another to win a high rating NZ Guineas and come to Australia include Catalyst (117) who had one of the great battles in the C S Hayes with Alligator Blood, running to 119 when nosed out.

Sacred Falls ran to 112 in his Guineas win and ended up winning a Doncaster in the same season with a whopping 124 rating in the mud over Pierro, coming back to better it with a pair of 125 wins in the Doncaster/George Main double.

More recently we've seen Aegon (ran to 110 in NZ) come over with varying success, winning the Hobartville first go in Australia before an even effort in the Randwick Guineas.

Savaglee looks up to some of the better three-year-olds we've seen in New Zealand and I'm suspecting Saturday was a bit of a 'tweener for him. A trip to Australia in the Autumn has been flagged and he can certainly measure up if they do bring him over.


Racing and Sports

Trentham

Saturday, 11th January 2025

7
16:16
(local)

TOP KAT ROOFING LEVIN CLASSIC (G2)

Age: 3yo WT: 55kg Type: SW
NZD $400,000
1400m TURF GOOD
7
16:16
(local)
NZD $400,000
1400m GOOD

TOP KAT ROOFING LEVIN CLASSIC (G2)

Age: 3yo WT: 55kg Type: SW


FP Silk Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 1. SAVAGLEE (NZ) 3yo C
SAVABEEL (AUS) - GLEE (NZ)
SAM SPRATT
PAM GERARD
$1.6
57kg
THE OAKS STUD

Sales Information

2nd 8. KITTY FLASH (NZ) 3yo F
ACE HIGH (AUS) - ELECTRODE (NZ)
MASAHIRO HASHIZUME
ANDREW FORSMAN
$4.8
55kg
DR P CHEN
3rd 7. TARDELLI (AUS) 3yo C
I AM INVINCIBLE (AUS) - PIERRO MOSS (AUS)
MICHAEL MCNAB
STEPHEN MARSH
$9.5
57kg
HAWRIDGE DEVELOPMENTS LTD, JAMIESON PARK LTD, JML BLOODSTOCK LTD (MGR: L PETAGNA) & LITTLE AVONDALE TRUST

Sales Information

4th 2. DOMAIN ACE (NZ) 3yo G
SWISS ACE (AUS) - INTERNET (AUS)
CRAIG GRYLLS
GRAEME & DEBBIE ROGERSON
$24.6
57kg

Sales Information

5th 6. RIDEFROMTHEASHES (NZ) 3yo G
WROTE (IRE) - LADY PHOENIX (NZ)
VINNIE COLGAN
BEN & RYAN FOOTE
$22.9
57kg

Sales Information

6th 3. SUIT YOURSELF (NZ) 3yo C
SAVILE ROW (NZ) - O'CAROL (NZ)
LISA ALLPRESS
PAM GERARD
$18.8
57kg

Sales Information

7th 4. WINGMAN (NZ) 3yo G
SWISS ACE (AUS) - CORTADO (AUS)
LUKE CURRIE
ROYDON BERGERSON
$12
57kg
8th 5. TYCOON PRINCE (NZ) 3yo G
WRITTEN TYCOON (AUS) - VANITY QUEEN (GB)
RYAN ELLIOT
SHAUNE RITCHIE & COLM MURRAY
$27.4
57kg

Sales Information

today's racing

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