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John O'Shea believes he may have unearthed his Victoria Derby horse, following Savvy Nature's impressive Spring Stakes win at Newcastle this afternoon.
Photo by Racing and Sports
The race was decimated by big-name scratchings with Gai Waterhouse pair Equator and Rockabill pulling out along with Peter Moody's Stamina.
Bjorn Baker's Fuerza ended up jumping as favourite and he led them up to the straight before starting to feel the pinch.
Wordplay ran on well late on to just pip Happy Clapper for second.
O'Shea is eyeing the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) next month and feels his son of Savabeel could progress even further, to the $1.5m on offer at Flemington later this spring.
“We'd love to get him to Flemington and ride him in a quiet mile and a half,” O'Shea said.
“History says good horses win this race [the Spring Stakes].
Twelve months back Proisir claimed the Spring Stakes in dominant fashion before running a narrow second to It's A Dundeel in the Spring Champion, and failing in the Cox Plate.
O'Shea will follow a slightly different path with Savvy Nature, starting with the 1800m Gloaming Stakes next weekend.
Sousa was the last Spring Stakes winner who went on to win the Spring Champion.
Nothin' Leica Dane meanwhile finished third in the Spring Stakes in 1995 before going on to win the Victoria Derby.
