Savile Row makes impressive return at Ellerslie

Savile Row got his New Zealand Derby campaign off to the perfect start with a come-from-behind win against accomplished older horses in the $27,500 viva.co.nz 1200 Rating 85 at Ellerslie this afternoon.

The Makfi colt was making his first start since he finished second to Ugo Foscolo in the Gr. 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas at Riccarton in early November.

The trainer-jockey combination of Michael Moroney and Michael Coleman has enjoyed countless successes dating back to the 1990s, and they teamed up again today with the stable’s latest bright prospect.

Savile Row raced well back in the field as Parker’s Piece and Cartell set a strong tempo up front. Coleman brought the colt to the outside to make his bid in the home straight and he lengthened stride impressively, scoring by a comfortable three-quarters of a length.

“I thought he might get a bit outpaced by these sprinters over 1200 metres on a Good3 track, but he’s got class and that takes you a long way,” said Coleman, whose tally of New Zealand victories now stands at 1976.

“The two horses went hard up in front, which made the job a little bit easier for us, but he really showed a good turn of foot. As soon as I got him to the outside I knew he was home.”

Bred and raced by Kevin Hickman, Savile Row has now had five starts for two wins, two placings and $102,575 in prize-money.

The TAB now rates Savile Row a $9 chance for next month’s Gr. 1 Randwick Meats Levin Classic and a $10 chance for his main target, the Gr. 1 Vodafone New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie in March.

“We didn’t know what to expect from him today,” said Moroney, who trains the colt in partnership with Pam Gerard.

“He was by no means screwed down today. But he’s got a lot of class, and this is what classy horses can do. He was very impressive. We definitely believe that he’s a Derby horse and we’ll carry on along that way. He could also go to Melbourne or Sydney at some stage, but we’ll just take things as they come. He’s got a great future.”