Classic tailor-made for Savile Row
Jonathan Scully already knew owner Kevin Hickman had a smart horse on his hands in Savile Row and comments from cotrainer Michael Moroney this week comparing the colt to former stable star Xcellent have just confirmed it.
Scully, racing manager for Valachi Downs proprietor and Savile Row’s breeder-owner Kevin Hickman, is brimming with confidence ahead of the colt’s tilt at the Levin Classic at Trentham tomorrow.
‘‘It’s amazing that Mike would even contemplate comparing him with Xcellent because everyone knows how highly he rated him. It just confirms to us that we’ve got a pretty special horse on our hands,’’ Scully said.
‘‘It’s great to have a home-bred colt racing in Group One races in Kevin’s colours. Hopefully, after Saturday, we might have a potential stallion on our hands. We don’t normally keep our colts but there weren’t enough people wanting to buy him at the sales so we brought him home.’’
Runner-up to Ugo Foscolo in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas, Scully believes Savile Row’s edge came from his strength and maturity for his age.
‘‘You’d think he’s a four-yearold but he’s only three and that for starters always holds you in pretty good stead,’’ Scully said.
‘‘At Ellerslie the other day, it was like he was toying with them – and that was a pretty good field of older Rating 85 gallopers.
‘‘We’ve just got to try and not get too excited until he gets his Group One but that’s not easy. His win at Ellerslie took Kevin and I by surprise. We thought it would be just a nice pipe-cleaner but the way he won gave us goosebumps.’’
TAB bookmakers have the Michael Moroney and Pam Gerrard-trained Savile Row on the second line of betting for the Levin Classic at $4.80 behind $2.90 favourite Hall Of Fame, which surprises Scully.
‘‘He’s at great odds. We’ve got the draw [barrier two] and Hall Of Fame is inside us too,’’ Scully said.
‘‘Pam wants him ridden a little handier than he was in the 2000 Guineas.’’
Savile Row is the TAB’S $10 equal second favourite for the New Zealand Debry (2400m) at Ellerslie on March 4 with Highlad, in a market headed by Sacred Elixir at $5.
He is at $16 for the weight-forage Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on February 11.