Having shaken off her maiden tag last start, Savvy Hallie took an even more significant step at Randwick with her first black-type win in the Silver Shadow Stakes.
Arguably one of Sydney’s best two-year-olds not to win a race, Savvy Hallie was unlucky to bump into subsequent Black Opal Stakes winner King Of Pop on debut before finishing runner-up in the Baillieu (1400m) and Percy Sykes Stakes behind Nepotism and Tempted respectively.
She showed she had returned in good order when breaking through at Newcastle first-up on August 14 but trainer Brad Widdup admitted he had reservations coming into Saturday’s Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m).
“We were meant to race at Kembla and we got the heavy 10. We didn’t go and the track looked alright,” Widdup said.
“We waited until last week and ran her and then we had to back her up here, so big call.
“She was just brilliant. It’s great when they handle a track like this. Great call to run today so I will give them (her owners) a bit of credit there for once.”
Savvy Hallie is likely to head to the Furious Stakes (1200m) in two weeks but Widdup is unsure if her brilliance will stretch to the longer races in the four-leg Princess series.
“I think she is too brilliant to keep pushing out further. She did a good jump, 900 to 1200 today,” he said.
“We will probably aim up in a fortnight and then see how we go.”
Savvy Hallie was ridden by Jay Ford who said the filly helped herself by being uncomplicated.
“She is a genuine Group horse every day of the week,” Ford said.
“Hopefully as she furnishes and gets older she might take that next step again, but her tenacity and will to win, and just how genuine she is – she flies the machines, puts herself in a spot – so she gives herself every chance of success.”
Savvy Hallie ($3.50) scored by three-quarters of a length over Within The Law ($3.50) with Queen Of Clubs ($10) doing her best work late another 2-3/4 lengths away.
Trainer Gary Portelli was rapt with the effort of the third placegetter who is likely to bypass the Furious Stakes and step straight up to 1400m in either the Tea Rose or Ming Dynasty.
