Tracked – The Saturday Racing Review – March 30

Waikato Stud’s Savabeel enjoyed a memorable day at Rosehill on Saturday, with two three-year-old stayers recording major victories on the road to the ATC Derby and Oaks.

Touted as the best of the New Zealand three-year-old crop, Orchestral delivered in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes, knuckling down to grab her second win at the highest level.

The Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained filly was made to earn it in the 2000-metre contest, with Nash Rawiller taking off early aboard eventually runner-up Tutta La Vita and James McDonald needing most of the Rosehill straight to recover the margin. 

What a win!

Orchestral takes out the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes for @Kingsclere_Nz and @mcacajamez!@aus_turf_club pic.twitter.com/3v6oCIgNV1

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 30, 2024

Now a winner of six races from eight starts, Orchestral has options open in the coming weeks, including the Group 1 ATC Derby, the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Group 1 ATC Oaks.

Bred by Barnswood Farm, she becomes the second daughter of Savabeel to win the Vinery, after Lucia Valentina in 2014. 

Despite not being currently entered into the Group 1 ATC Derby next week, Wymark stamped his credentials for the classic with a comfortable victory in the Group 2 Tulloch Stakes.

The win was impressive enough that connections have elected to pay the $44,000 late entry fee to run in the 2400-metre Classic, run in seven days time.

He is now the 143rd stakeswinner for Savabeel, who has enjoyed sustained success as a sire of Derby winners, having produced the likes of Major Beel, Sangster and the aforementioned Orchestral. Both he and Orchestral are out of mares by O’Reilly.

Run The Numbers – Savabeel over O’Reilly broodmares an unmatchable Waikato Stud formula for success

New Zealand star Orchestral is the latest Group 1 winner to emerge from the most successful genetic combination in Australasia, Savabeel over mares by O’Reilly.

The StraightBren O’Brien

The Australian Cup saw history repeat itself at Flemington on Saturday, with the nine-year-old Cascadian going back to back for Godolphin and James Cummings in the Group 1 weight-for-age feature. 

Turning into the final bend last of the nine-horse field, Ben Melham weaved his way through traffic to collar Pride Of Jenni as the finishing post loomed. 

The victory is the imported gelding’s fourth Group 1 win, having won the Australian Cup twice, as well as the All Aged Stakes and the Doncaster Mile. He joins Dawn Approach as the only sons of New Approach to win four times at the elite level.

G1 Australian Cup x 2️⃣
G1 Doncaster Mile
G1 All-Aged Stakes

CASCADIAN really is an old marvel pic.twitter.com/oTX4GuHU5O

— World Horse Racing (@WHR) March 30, 2024

Kalapour went into the Group 1 Tancred Stakes as one of the outsiders, but exited the 2400-metre contest as an elite-level winner, fighting on to claim the weight-for-age feature under apprentice Dylan Gibbons. 

Trained by Kris Lees, the gelded son of War Command rallied to deny More Felons in a driving finish. 

He is the first Australian Group 1 winner for his stallion, with his three other victors at the highest level claiming success in South America. 

SHOCK RESULT

KALAPOUR joins horses like Verry Elleegant, Hartnell, Makybe Diva, Might and Power, Octagonal and Kingston Town on the honour roll for the G1 Tancred Stakes! @Leesracing | @djgibbons22 | @dan_huddy pic.twitter.com/1LFNkVmA6U

— World Horse Racing (@WHR) March 30, 2024

The Chris Waller-trained Olentia bounced back to some of her best form at Rosehill, running away with the Group 2 Emancipation Stakes under Tommy Berry. 

The daughter of Zoustar was already a stakeswinner, having taken out the Group 3 JB Carr Stakes previously, with the result on Saturday being her biggest victory to date. 

Zoustar had six winners across Australia including a stakes double on the day. In South Australia, the Phillip Stokes-trained gelding Celsius Star overcame a wide barrier in the Listed Railway Stakes at Oakbank, providing a new stakeswinner, number 52, for his Widden Stud-based sire. 

First-season sires Super Seth and Pierata marked new stakes winners.

At Rosehill, promising Super Seth colt Linebacker got the better of Anode in a tight battle to win the Group 3 TL Baillieu Handicap.

The John O’Shea-trained colt is one of 14 runners for Waikato Stud’s Super Seth in his debut season, four of which have won, with this his first stakes victory. 

Like Orchestral, Linebacker was sold as a yearling by Haunui Farm. 

Yulong resident Pierata continued his stellar start to his breeding career with the promising filly Tobeornottobe a stylish winner of the Group 3 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes at Flemington. 

She was able to go one better than her second-placed finish in the Group 3 Blue Diamond Preview (Fillies), with her success also breaking her maiden at her third career start for Robbie Griffiths and Mathew De Kock. 

Another freshman sire to have a winner on Saturday was Too Darn Hot when Killcare Beachgirl won on debut at Wyong for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott,   

Later at Flemington, a late finishing burst from Sans Doute was enough to propel the daughter of Not A Single Doubt to a maiden black-type victory, grabbing Najem Suhail in the shadows of the post to claim the Listed ATA/Bob Hoysted Handicap for Te Akau trainer Mark Walker.

That win was part of a winning double for Arrowfield Stud graduates at Flemington, the other coming from Estriella.

Some 15 years after his sire Shocking won the Group 1 Melbourne Cup, Mark Twain will have a shot at replicating the feat after a slashing win in the Listed Roy Higgins Quality.

Settling last in the field of 12, the lightly raced four-year-old gelding finished powerfully to take out the 2600-metre contest, and book his place in the Melbourne Cup field. 

Talented three-year-old Estriella, a daughter of I Am Invincible, claimed her second black-type success down the famous Flemington straight, taking out the Listed Sunlight Classic as an odds-on favourite for Ciaron Maher, the first of a two state stakes double for the stable.

Back at Rosehill, the complexion of the Group 1 Doncaster Mile next week changed after an impressive win from the Maher-trained Another Wil in the Group 3 Doncaster Mile Prelude at Rosehill.

Jamie Kah piloted the lightly raced son of Darley Australia’s Street Boss to victory as an odds-on favourite, which was also his maiden win at black-type level. 

Imported stayer Serpentine, who won the Group 1 Epsom Derby in 2020 with bold front-running tactics, notched his third black-type success in the Group 3 Neville Sellwood Stakes.

The victory provides his stallion, Galileo, with his 808th stakes win as a sire, 70 of which have come in Australia. 

Bandi’s Boy became the first Group winner for American-bred and Kooringal Stud-based stallion The Brothers War, causing a minor upset when storming down the centre of the course to claim the Group 3 Star Kingdom Stakes.

Trained by Danny Williams, the gelding is only the second black-type winner for his sire, joining dual-Listed winner Ancestry.

Awesome Rock filly Own The Queen continued her domination of the Western Australian three-year-old staying ranks, taking out the Group 3 WA Oaks.

It gives her a feature treble, having also won the Listed Ascot 1000 Guineas and the Listed Natasha Stakes this campaign.

On Good Friday, Pride Of Dubai got his 23rd stakes winner when three-year-old Buckets Ridge won the Listed Melvista Stakes at Ascot for Grant and Alana Williams.