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Cornflower Blue lands John Grigg Stakes
The Waikato Stud-based sire Savabeel (Zabeel) added to his stakes tally on Sunday as his daughter Cornflower Blue (3 f ex Tiffany Yellow by O'Reilly) landed the John Grigg Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) at Ashburton, bringing up stakes winner number 104 for the son of Zabeel (Sir Tristram).
Trained by Jamie Richards, the three-year-old filly came into the race off the back of a fourth place finish in the Canterbury Belle Stakes (Listed, 1200m) and she showed an impressive burst of speed to beat Embers (Darci Brahma) by a quarter of a length, while Matchmaker (Makfi) - who won the Canterbury Belle Stakes on her previous appearance - was another two lengths further away in third.
The filly becomes the second new stakes winner in as many days for Savabeel, following up Albarado’s win in the Caulfield Classic (Gr 3, 2000m) on Saturday and he was also bred on the Savabeel / O’Reilly cross which has now, after Cornflower Blue’s victory on Sunday, produced 18 stakes winners - firing at a strike rate of 13 per cent stakes winners to runners.
Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick said he was now looking forward to seeing the filly run in the New Zealand 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m).
“I watched the race with the trainer and I’m absolutely rapt,” Chittick said.
“Jamie and the team, his father Paul, have done an incredible job with her after she felt the ground in the Canterbury Belle Stakes.
“We’re looking forward to her contesting the 1,000 Guineas, if she goes the right way, but we’d like to see a touch more give in the ground if possible.”
Chittick earmarked Cornflower Blue as a top filly in their 2019 National Yearling Sale draft, but she broke a wither leading up to the sale, forcing her to be withdrawn.
“I’ve got to say, the expert veterinary care of Ronan (Costello) at Te Akau, and our vet Chris (Phillips), who diagnosed what was an unusual sort of fracture, and all the love and attention she got from the staff going through her rehab has given us the opportunity to get her back to the track,” Chittack said.
The filly is out of three time winner Tiffany Yellow, making her a sister to Group 3 winner Mosse.
Cornflower Blue’s third dam is Listed winner Classy Twiggy (Twig Moss) and she is the grandam of 2014 The Galaxy (Gr 1, 1100m) winner Tiger Tees (Dubawi), dual Group 1 winner Terravista (Captain Rio), multiple Group 2 scorer Ball Of Muscle (Dubawi) and Listed winners Our Lukas (Generous), Donna Cattiva (Captain Rio) and Super Easy (Darci Brahma).
Te Akau Racing boss David Ellis was also delighted with the win.
“That was Savabeel’s 104th stakes winner,” Ellis said. “He’s been our champion stallion for six years in a row and it’s just incredible how much success we’ve had with his progeny in the last five or six years.
“Recently, I can think of Probabeel, Savy Yong Blonk, Cool Aza Beel, Prise De Fer, Embellish, Hall of Fame, Sword of Osman, Splurge, Royal Success, Shillelagh, Grazia, and others, all really good horses.
“It’s so good to be entrusted with a beautiful filly like this from the Breeder of the Year in Waikato Stud and to be able to win a Group 3.”
Savabeel is standing at Waikato Stud for a fee of NZ$100,000 (plus GST).
