4 Wins 30 Hours - Savoir Faire - Cranbourne Cracker

Stakes' placed as a three-year-old in the Group 2 Waikato Guineas over 2000m, Savoir Faire (4 g Savabeel – Etiquette, by O’Reilly) again showed his liking for middle distance racing when winning the A$130,000 John Duff & Co The Lester Benchmark 84 2025 metres on Saturday at Cranbourne - his new home track. 

Winning third-up in this campaign as he had previously, Savoir Faire resumed with a courageous effort for third in the Benchmark 78 1600 metres on 18 October at Moe, and received a lovely trip in fourth when finishing second in the Donald Cup (1620m) on 17 November at Donald.

Savoir Faire has now recorded all four wins at 2000m/2025m, and provided the third win on the day for Te Akau at three different venues, following two-year-old colt Return To Conquer (Snitzel) winning the Listed Counties Challenge Stakes 1100m on debut at Pukekohe, and Bella Voce making it back-to-back wins in the Rating 75 1200 metres at Wanganui.

Ridden by Damian Lane, who sits second to Blake Shinn in the Victorian Jockeys' Premiership, Savoir Faire secured an economical trip behind a brisk pace, appeared to travel best inside the 600m, and once angled clear he asserted his dominance early in the home straight. 

“It was a terrific win and well ridden by Damian Lane,” said trainer Mark Walker. 

“We’re starting to see the benefits of being patient with him and our main target in this prep is the A$300,000 Listed Pakenham Cup over 2500m on 21 December.

“He’ll have another race before then, but he’ll now spend four or five days at the beach which he loves doing after he races.

“He certainly won with a lot of authority today, seems to love the distance, and he’s continuing to develop into a really nice staying horse, particularly with a view to the autumn and going into next season as well.”

On footing upgraded to Good3, Savoir Faire ran 2025 metres in 2:04.9, winning by one and three-quarter lengths, and was the clear market mover when dropping from $12.00 to pay $6.10 & $2.00.

In was the third win by Savoir Faire in Australia, from the Te Akau stables at Cranbourne.

Considered the pick of progeny by eight-time Champion Sire Savabeel (Zabeel) at the 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale, Savoir Faire was purchased by David Ellis CNZM, from the draft of Ohukia Lodge, and owned by the Te Akau 2021 Ready To Run Stallion Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM). 

“He was a staying type, a real Derby type to my eye, when we bought him and the way he finds the line over 2000 metres is testament to that,” Ellis said.

“He’s now recorded all four wins around 2000 metres and it’s exciting for the owners to have a promising staying horse. 

“Mark (Walker) and Ben (Gleeson) and our team are doing a great job of training the horses from our stable at Cranbourne, and how well they are going is great recognition for the horses that have been educated, prepared, and raced in New Zealand.”

Savabeel progeny provided a rare double when Te Akau-trained Noverre (Savabeel) won the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas and The Perfect Pink (Savabeel) won the Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas in 2021, while Savabeel success stories for the stable include Group 1 winners Probabeel, Amarelinha, Hall of Fame, Savy Yong Blonk, Sword of Osman, Cool Aza Beel, Embellish, Prise De Fer, and Skew Wiff, as well as Group winners: Splurge, Gold Fever, Aotea Lad, Synchronize, Brando, Ascend The Throne, and Certainly, while his sire sons include Embellish, Cool Aza Beel and Noverre.

The dam of Savoir Faire, Etiquette, is a sister to quadruple Group 1 winner Sacred Falls (O’Reilly), who, while successful, unfortunately had his time cut short as a stallion at Waikato Stud, when euthanised after producing four crops. 

Savoir Faire was strapped by Jason Levin. 

Photo credit - www.nzracingnews.co.nz