Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North)
It was an anxious few moments for the connections of Provence (Savabeel) as they waited to hear the judge’s call following the Gr.1 TAB Mufhasa Classic (1600m) at Trentham on Saturday, and they erupted when their mare’s name was called out first.
In shades of the photo finish between Enzo’s Lad and Ferrando in the 2019 Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) at the Upper Hutt track, there was a significant delay to the judge’s call as they studied the tight photo finish between Provence, Waitak and La Crique, with the former eventually getting the nod by a nose over Waitak.
Trainer Stephen Marsh was up in Pukekohe overseeing his northern team, and he was left multi-tasking watching the aftermath on his phone while legging up a handful of riders on his quintet of horses in the last race.
“I had my phone in one hand and the most horses I have ever had in a race,” he said. “We had five horses in the next (at Pukekohe) and all the jockeys were crowding around us to see if we had won. It was a hectic few minutes, but it made it very worthwhile. It was an awesome feeling to get the result.
“I don’t know why it took so long. It was an anxious moment, but we certainly got the right result and I am absolutely over the moon.”
Provence has made pleasing progression this preparation, finishing seventh in the Listed Legacy Lodge Sprint (1200m) under a big impost first-up before finishing runner-up to Qali Al Farrasha in the Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m), and went one better over her pet distance on Saturday.
“I thought her first-up run in the handicap with 60 kilos was very good, I liked it, she just peaked on her run late,” Marsh said. “She was terrific second-up again and I thought she just needed the run again. Today she stripped a much better horse again.
“Where her fitness is at, I think that was probably the winning of the race because she got held up a bit longer than she wanted to and sprinted well. She probably started to peak on her run a little bit late, but she was terrific.
“What a great field it was. It was a brilliant race with Group One winners galore and she pulled out and won. It could have gone either way of three.”
It was Provence’s third Group One win in a year, having previously won the Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) in January and Gr.1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m) in March.
“By Savabeel, they just keep getting better and better,” Marsh said. “Once they hit form and know how to win, they are bloody hard to beat. We need more of them.”
The win capped a great end to a frustrating day for Marsh, with his stable placing in six races prior to the breakthrough win.
“It was a really frustrating day,” Marsh said. “Jockeys were coming in apologising and didn’t get the right run, and a bad draw cost us.
“It was one of those days where nothing seemed to be gelling at all, and it was getting frustrating, but to end it with a Group One is great, they are why we all do it.”
Two of those placings came at stakes level at Pukekohe, with To Cap It All runner-up in the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) and Tardelli third in the Gr.3 Concorde Stakes (1200m).
“To Cap It All was great, she jogged up to them,” Marsh said. “I think we will bring her back to a sprint trip. You will probably see her on Karaka Millions night in a race like the Almanzor (Gr.3, 1200m).
“We are definitely going to have a crack at the Telegraph (Gr.1, 1200m) with Tardelli. I think the big 1200m of Wellington will suit, he just probably got left a little bit flat-footed and probably peaked the last 100m today. He was still good to the line, it was a nice field, and I think that run will bring him on nicely.”
Marsh has yet to decide the next steps for Provence, but said the ultimate aim is to defend her crown in the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes at Ellerslie on Champions Day.
“I don’t want to step her up to 2000m, I don’t feel that she is a 2000m horse at all,” he said. “I think a mile is her pet distance.
“We want to get her back to Ellerslie in March for the Breeders’. For the foreseeable future there is not a Group One to target her towards, but we will get her home and I will obviously have to talk with Tony (Rider, breeder and part-owner) and the team.
“She doesn’t need to do too much more, she is a three-time Group One winner.”
