Snazzytavi has booked her ticket south to Hastings next month to contest the Gr.1 Livamol Classic (2040m) following an eye-catching victory at Te Rapa on Friday.
The Group Three-winning daughter of Tavistock was second-up in the BCD Group Mile (1600m) after finishing ninth in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings earlier this month, and trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall were hoping for a confidence-boosting result.
Snazzytavi was backed into $1.90 favouritism and duly delivered for punters. Jumping from the ace barrier, she followed a blistering pace set by a quartet of horses upfront, but jockey Warren Kennedy bided his time, incrementally reeling in the pacemakers to sit within firing range at the turn.
Kennedy guided Snazzytavi up on the rail where she showed a good turn of foot and quickly found themselves in the lead at the 200m and ran out comfortable 2-3/4 length victors over a game Chattahooche.
“That was great to see,” Richardson said. “You are querying a little bit after her first-up run, but it was a big ask and things just didn’t suit. She improved a lot from Hastings to today, so that was very good, I am very happy.”
Richardson said he was pleased to see the strong early tempo, which set the race up nicely for his mare.
“I was pretty happy about that (strong tempo),” he said. “There looked to be a bit of pace in the race and there were a few horses resuming as well. I wasn’t 100 percent sure, but it worked out well. The way she won, she could have been anywhere in the race. She won easing up, she was so impressive.
“I am absolutely rapt for the horse and the connections.”
The Livamol Classic now awaits Snazzytavi, and although Richardson isn’t enamoured with stepping his mare up from 1400m to 2040m in the space of five weeks, he is excited to see what she can do next month.
“At this stage that (Livamol) is the plan, she obviously deserves a crack,” he said.
“It is not easy this time of year when you go up from 1400m to 1600m and 2000m straight away. It is not easy and it is not ideal, you would like more of a build-up, but the Livamol only comes around once a year.”
A race prior, new stable acquisition Rocababy pleased when finishing runner-up behind Wewillrock in the Risk Management Group 1200.
The El Roca mare was having her second start for the stable, having finished fourth first-up at Te Rapa a fortnight ago.
“She had a very good run,” Richardson said. “Jasmine (Fawcett) rode her very well considering her draw (nine). She was three wide, really went to the line and tried her heart out."