$620,000 Savabeel Filly from G1 Winner Thee Auld Floozie

Media Release - Monday January 29

As well as making an outstanding start to the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale as a vendor, Elsdon Park principal Lib Petagna added an exciting young prospect to his racing team with a high-priced Savabeel filly late on Monday afternoon.

Elsdon Park is in only its second year as a yearling vendor at Karaka, having sold 13 yearlings last year for a total of $2.3 million and an average price of $176,923.

Sheamus Mills went to $650,000 to secure the Savabeel x Stolen Gem filly from the draft of Haunui Farm. Photo: Trish Dunell

The Waikato nursery will far surpass those figures in 2024, already selling 10 horses for $3.15 million at an average of $315,500.

But the purchase of Lot 479 for $620,000 on Monday put an extra spring in Petagna’s step. The filly was offered by Jamieson Park and is by Savabeel out of the Group One-winning mare Thee Auld Floozie.

Advertisement

The well-related filly received a notable pedigree update over the weekend. Her half-sister Just A Floozie, who had beaten Orchestral, Molly Bloom and Still Bangon in a form-filled juvenile race at Avondale last autumn, returned to action with an eye-catching finish for fourth in the Gr.3 Almanzor Trophy (1200m) at Ellerslie.

“Lib’s had a great sale as a vendor,” bloodstock agent Bruce Perry said. “I think one of the things that’s been noticeable is the comments around the fact that he’s got a lot of lovely young mares. It’s nice to be able to go back and keep purchasing some nice fillies for him. It’s exciting.”

Petagna’s distinctive apple green, dark blue and yellow colours have been carried by some outstanding daughters of Savabeel, most notably the triple Group One heroine Lucia Valentina and fellow elite winner Nicoletta.

“We’ve had a lot of success with Savabeel fillies in the past, and this filly reminded me a lot of some of those very best ones,” Perry said.

“We actually loved Orchestral when she came through this sale in 2022 and had a really good crack at her. I also really liked the half-sister to this filly that ran in the three-year-old race the other night, so we know the family well.

“I see quite a bit of James Chapman’s horses in the paddock throughout the year. I think, at one stage, I offered to him, ‘Will you take 600 for that filly in the paddock?’ And now that we’ve bought her in the ring, he reminded me. He said, ‘You offered me 600 in the paddock for that horse.’

“So, no, I thought she was a beauty, and I think she’s got residual value. The half-sister goes particularly well and ran a huge race the other night, so there’s a lot of upside.

“This filly will go back to the farm now and get broken in, and we’ll just see how she goes. With what’s happening here in the industry, there’s a big carrot now to retain more horses in New Zealand. It gives you the confidence, I think, to get these nice horses and have a go. And Australia’s always only three hours away, so I think it’s brilliant.” – NZ Racing Desk.

Visit the profile page for Savabeel

Savabeel in upcoming sales:
Advertisment
More Reading...
Knights Choice a True Underdog Story
Punters were left stunned when the Queenslander Knight's Choice and Japanese visitor Warp Speed (JPN) emerged from the pack to fight out a dramatic finish to the $8,560,000 Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington.
Depth aplenty in November (Early) Online Sale
The dam of and a sister to G1 sprinter Oscar’s Fortune, mares in foal on desirable covers and an unreserved dispersal from a respected bloodstock operator are among the highlights of the Inglis Digital November (Early) Online Sale.
Cup Day Stakes-Winner for Headwater
With a plethora of racing all over Australia on Cup Day there were opportunities aplenty and Vinery Stud’s value sire Headwater made his mark with a new stakes-winner on Perth at Ascot where three year-old filly London’s Image captured the Listed WATC Burgess Queen Stakes (1400m).
Before They Were Stars
Spring racing in Australia is in full swing and while many people are studying video with a view to backing winners, others are spending just as much time assessing breeze up footage with a view to finding the next champions to emerge from the NZB Ready to Run Sale, so what does a champion look like?
Flightline and Cogburn Shares Highlight Inaugural Keeneland Championship Sale
Stallion shares in Horse of the Year and exciting young sire Flightline and also Widden Stud's new shuttle prospect Cogburn changed hands at the inaugural Keeneland Championship Sale.
Sires With Winners - Tuesday November 5
Here is the full list of 145 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Melbourne Cup Winner for Extreme Choice – Rare Slice of History
This year’s $8.5million Group I VRC Melbourne Cup (3200m) produced a genuinely amazing fairytale result for the connections of five year-old Extreme Choice gelding Knight’s Choice, but part of that fairytale is his sire Extreme Choice, who has carved out something seriously special as being only the second sire in history to produce the winner of a Golden Slipper and a Melbourne Cup.
More Aussie Purchases at Tattersalls Autumn HIT Sale Day 3
Strong trade continued on the third day of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale headed by the two-year-old LA BELLOTA at 425,000 guineas with eight lots realising 200,000 guineas or more and a clearance rate above 90%.
Strong Trade Continues at Tattersalls Autumn HIT Sale
Strong trade continued on the fourth day of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale with an interesting horse set to join the Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald stable as turnover has already soared to be the second highest in the sale’s history with the fifth and final session still to come. 
El Vencedor wins G3 Balmerino Stakes
El Vencedor is making a habit of picking up major victories at Ellerslie, adding the Gr.3 Balmerino Stakes (2000m) to his burgeoning record at Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup Day meeting.