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Tabata lands Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes

The potency of the Savabeel (Zabeel) / Pins (Snippets) cross came to the fore once again as the Stephen Marsh-trained Tabata (4 m ex Splitsecond by Pins) took out her first stakes race when she prevailed in the Wairarapa Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Listed, 1600m) at Tauherenikau on Monday and in the process became stakes winner number 112 for Waikato Stud-based Savabeel (Zabeel). 

The four-year-old mare stayed on strongly to edge out Cruz Ramirez (Myboycharlie) by a nose, while Serena (Swiss Ace) was another quarter of a length away in third. 

Trainer Stephen Marsh was delighted with the victory, his third at stakes level in 48 hours after securing a Group 3 double on Saturday with Vernanme (O’Reilly) in the Taranaki Cup (Gr 3, 1800m), while Belle Fascino (Per Incanto) took out the White Robe Lodge Stakes (Gr 3, 1600m).

“To get any stakes win is always a thrill but to pick up three over the weekend is very satisfying,” Marsh said.

“Mind you, at the top of the straight I didn’t think we could win the race and I was just hoping that we could perhaps run into a place at that stage.

“That was the plan leading into today as she is still lightly-raced but we were hoping to pick up some black type for her record when she eventually goes to the broodmares paddock.

“She has got a very good finish on her and when she started to pick up halfway down the straight, I started to think we might snatch third but her last 50m was just phenomenal.”

Marsh will now head home and work out an autumn programme for Tabata, with the trainer now eyeing a possible tilt at the Travis Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m) with the mare. 

“She is very honest and goes well in the wet and today she showed she handles it firm as by the time they ran the race the track was pretty hard underfoot,” Marsh said.

“She has had two big trips away now, here and to Trentham last time so a few easy days in the paddock won’t hurt and we can think about our autumn targets.

“Her breeding and the way she handled the 1600 metres today suggests to me a race like the Travis Stakes later on in April might be an ideal target.”

The mare becomes the 15th stakes winner bred on the Pins / Savabeel cross, following up Tilianam’s victory in the Lonhro Plate (Listed, 1000m) at Randwick on Saturday, while Probabeel is also out of a daughter of Pins and she returned to racing on Saturday with a victory in the Bellmaine Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Caulfield. Probabeel is one of three Group 1 winners bred on the cross, with the others being Brambles and Savvy Coup. 

Purchased by Vermair Racing and Hughes Bloodstock for NZ$100,000 at Book 1 of the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka National Yearling Sale in 2018, the mare is out of Listed-placed mare Splitsecond, who has produced two further winners. 

Tabata’s third dam is Fifteen Reasons (Sound Reason) and she produced Group 1 winner Sixty Seconds (Centaine) and Spottswoode (Centaine). 

A six-time champion sire in New Zealand, Savabeel stood at Waikato Stud for a fee of NZ$100,00 (plus GST) in 2020.