Unbeaten filly Habibi is helping Northland trainer Donna Logan reap the rewards for telling an owner her horse couldn’t run more than a decade ago.
Habibi took her record to four wins from as many starts when winning the Group Two Great Northern Guineas (1600m) at Ellerslie, looking like a filly set to win many more.
She did so despite running three wide on a wet track, looking every bit the Oaks filly which Logan thinks she is in winning by 3-1/4 lengths.
New Plymouth breeders Peter and Heather Crofskey gave Logan the filly to train after a promise they made some time ago.
“I had a horse for them 14 years ago and it was no good and I told them pretty quick smart `this is a waste of money and a waste of time’,” she said.
“They said `we really appreciate your honesty, we’re going to give you a good one one day’. It’s taken all this time but we’ve got her.”
Logan described Habibi as “cantankerous” to train, but said she always thought she was a top staying filly and she has the New Zealand Oaks (2400m) in March in mind.
“There’s not many fillies that run one minute nine seconds for 1200 metres that are destined to be stayers, and I’ve always labelled her as an Oaks filly,” he said.
“She’s a really talented filly and I think she’s going places.”
Habibi gave jockey Vinny Colgan a Group Two double after he won the Eight Carat Classic on Fix and he was happy Logan didn’t line Habibi up in that race.
Colgan said he didn’t mind being three wide in the running as he found a good patch of ground for Habibi.
“I was three wide but I had a good patch of ground. She’s only had the three starts and she doesn’t know a lot but when I pushed to go button she really strode out.”
Addictive Habit was the best of a well-beaten bunch in second place.
