Savvy Coup (NZ) Stars in Eulogy Stakes

Exciting South Island filly Savvy Coup (NZ) (Savabeel) got her New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year Series campaign underway in style on Saturday, making her first start in the Series a winning one in the $70,000 Group 3 LawnMaster Eulogy Stakes (1550m) at Awapuni.

The clear favourite for the third leg of the Series was Dijon Bleu (NZ) (Burgundy), who won the Group 3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) and ran second in the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) to lead the Series with 13 points. She had also picked up additional black-type wins in the Listed Wanganui Fillies’ Stakes (1200m) and Soliloquy Stakes (1400m).

Dijon Bleu cruised to the lead in the straight in Saturday’s Eulogy Stakes and looked set to carry on her winning way, but Savvy Coup followed in her slipstream before angling to her outside and cutting her down in the last 100 metres. Ridden by Michael McNab for the father-son Riccarton training combination of Michael and Matthew Pitman, Savvy Coup got up to win by half a length.

“She was travelling that well at the 600, all we needed from there was some luck,” Michael Pitman said. “It was a great ride by Michael.

“She’s a lovely filly, she’s got a great pedigree and great owners (long-time stable clients from the Bruford and Coupland families).”

Savvy Coup was bred by Waikato Stud and is a daughter of their champion stallion Savabeel. The filly’s dam Eudora (NZ) (Pins) is a full-sister to the stakes winners Legless Veuve (NZ) (Pins) and Tootsie (NZ) (Pins). The latter is the dam of the recent Group 2 Tauranga Stakes (1600m) winner Ocean Emperor (NZ) (Zabeel).

Bought for $65,000 as a Premier Sale yearling at Karaka in 2016, Savvy Coup has now had eight starts for three wins, two placings and $86,125 in prize-money.

Waikato Stud will offer a full-brother to Savvy Coup as Lot 190 during Book 1 of Karaka 2018.

The result of Saturday’s Eulogy Stakes has seen Dijon Bleu extend her overall Series lead with 16 points. The New Zealand 1000 Guineas winner Hasahalo (NZ) (Savabeel) remains in second place with 12, with Savvy Coup now third with 6 points.

The 1000 Guineas third placegetter The Lustre (NZ) (Darci Brahma) is fourth with 3.5 points, followed by Florence Jean (NZ) (Pins) with 3.  Eulogy Stakes third placegetter Contessa Vanessa (NZ) (Bullbars) joined the table with 1.5 points.

The next leg of the Series is the $100,000 Group 2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) on Boxing Day at Ellerslie, followed by the $100,000 Group 2 Royal Stakes (2000m) at the same venue six days later. That will be an opportunity for other fillies to stake their Series claim, with neither Savvy Coup nor Dijon Bleu expected to travel north to Auckland.