Kiwis chasing more Guineas ‘Glee

The son of Savabeel had his four-race winning streak broken when he finished third against open-age sprinters in the Group 1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) on February 8. Combined with standout local performances by Angel Capital and Sepals, this has seen him slide down the betting boards.

But loyal fans of the Pam Gerard-trained three-year-old will be buoyed ratings similarities Savaglee shares with New Zealand’s only winner of the Australian Guineas.

That was Legarto, who won the 2023 edition in a Racing And Sports Rating figure of 113, which is just one pound higher than Savaglee’s peak mark, which he attained when winning the Group 1 2000 Guineas (1600m) last November.

His only two runs since that 1600 metre event have generated numbers of 111 and 108.

Legarto’s peak figure before coming to Australia was 110, which she ran when winning the Group 1 1000 Guineas (1600m) for fillies.

Two things helped her become the first Kiwi winner of the race that was first run in 1986; the 2023 edition being one of the lowest-rating renewals in its history and the ability to elevate her peak number.

That’s not something many other high-profile Kiwis have been able to achieve in the Howden Australian Guineas.

A number have come over with big raps, none bigger than Xtravagant, who started $2.70 favourite in 2016 off a blistering win in the same race Savaglee comes through, when he posted a mark of 123.

Reset and Heart Of Dreams, who won their Guineas at 124, are the only two horses to have gone better than 123 in the Guineas since it reverted to 1600m in 2001 after a brief stint as a 2000m event.

But Xtravagant could manage a rating of only 108 when eighth in the Guineas won by Palentino.

We Can Say It Now is the other New Zealander to start favourite in the Australian Guineas this millennium, but she didn’t even crack 100 when third-last in the Guineas after coming to Australia with a peak of 117.

Catalyst started $3.40 second favourite after running 119 in the Group 3 C S Hayes Stakes (1400m) at his final lead-up but regressed to 110 when sixth in the Guineas.

The only other Kiwis to run top-three in the Guineas since 2001 are Darci Brahma, who came to Australia with a peak rating of 119 and went 117 when second to Apache Cat, while Jokers Wild elevated his peak number to 118 when third behind Miss Finland and Casino Prince when the race was run at Caulfield for a year.

Savaglee’s figures also compare favourably with the horses who have announced themselves the leading local contenders.

Angel Capital ran 111 to win the Group 2 Autumn Stakes (1400m), which was a one-pound improvement on his Group 2 Caulfield Guineas Prelude (1400m) win in spring, while Sepals went 113 when a dominant winner of the Group 3 C S Hayes Stakes (1400m).

Sydney visitor Point And Shoot shares the second line of betting with Sepals after racing through the grades in his home state but he needs to elevate most of all of those near the head of the market after running a new personal best of 108 last start.

The horse with the highest peak rating in Saturday’s race is Feroce, who went 114 when narrowly beaten by Private Life in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m), but you can get double-figure odds about him on Saturday after he could manage a mark of only 103 in the C S Hayes on February 15.