Costume gets the nod
Waikato Stud continued their Group One domination of the Hawke’s Bay spring carnival on Saturday when Costume bagged the final leg of the Triple Crown series at long odds.
The home-bred daughter of resident sire Savabeel and the O’Reilly mare Disguised got home in a desperate finish to capture the Livamol Spring Classic at odds of better than 50-1.
The Matamata farm’s colours had been carried to victory in the group one Makfi Challenge Stakes by the grand mare I Do, who also finished runner-up in the group one Windsor Park Plate on the middle day of the Hastings meeting.
Stud principal Mark Chittick is a part-owner and co-breeder of I Do, while his father Garry had sole honours on Saturday as the breeder-owner of the Graeme and Debbie Rogerson-trained 5-year-old Costume.
Memories of a past Spring Classic success for the stud were also revived in the previous event when Wolfwhistle, a son of the Chittick family’s 2006 winner Legs, was successful in the Trinity Hill Homage Handicap.
Yesterday’s edition was a royal result for the Rogerson stable as they also produced the third placegetter Soriano.
“Debbie has done a great job with Costume and Garry and Mark have supported her so it’s just wonderful,” Graeme Rogerson said.
Costume, who has been served by Pins, settled back in the field and rider Michael Coleman was able to thread his way through the field and dive home late for a narrow victory.
“I got a good run to the corner and it got a little bit tight between runners in the straight before she stuck her head out at the right time,” Coleman said.
Splitting the Rogerson pair was Shuka while Zonza finished fourth and Abide with me was next home.
“He’s rarely finished out of the money – he’s always thereabouts and there’s still a lot of improvement in him,” Shuka’s co-trainer Dawn Williams said.