Savatoxl can complete an unlikely Group 1 victory from a perfect barrier in Saturday’s $502,250 Group 1 Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville.
The former Top End galloper came to South Australia late in 2020 with country cups on his radar.
He trialled like a jet at Gawler before he finished third in last year’s Balaklava Cup ahead of two plain runs in Melbourne during the spring. As a result, co-trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy restocked and switched him back to sprinting trips.
“He was sent to us to try and win a Balaklava Cup,” Calvin McEvoy said.
“They (owners) gave us an open book after Balaklava and we took him to Melbourne and it didn’t work out that well.”
But a change of tactics and return to Adelaide were the triggers for a form reversal.
He scored on the Parks track in November before running rivals off their feet again in the Christmas Handicap. He then booked his Group 1 debut via a brilliant front-running victory in the Group 3 D C McKay Stakes at Morphettville a fortnight back.
“We really unlocked the key to him: letting him back in his natural pattern of rolling along and breaking their hearts,” McEvoy said.
“That taught us a lot about him.”
And his revitalisation over the sprint trips isn’t a total surprise.
He won eight of his first nine starts in Alice Springs before earning the reputation as a miler when he defeated subsequent Darwin Cup winner Ihtsahymn in the 2020 Metric Mile.
“He’s won a lot of races from 1000m upwards, he’s a very versatile horse,” McEvoy said.
“We knew he would need the run first-up in the Irwin on the back of just the one trial and we thought there was still improvement to come out of his McKay win.
“We won the Goodwood with Despatch (in 2019) coming though the same race and he certainly deserves to be taking his place.”
Savatoxl is marked a $19 chance with tab.com.au and is the pick of three runners from the McEvoy stable.
Pretty Brazen comes off a very good effort behind Instant Celebrity in the TAB Classic last time out, while Dollar For Dollar is fitter for two runs back from a spell and McEvoy said drawing wide might not be against the horse in the small field.
“He’s a roll-forward horse with the winkers on for the first time in a few years,” McEvoy said.
“He should be able to roll across and might end up outside the leader. Not being a full field, there shouldn’t be the normal carnage there can be in a Goodwood, so I don’t think the draw is that detrimental.”
And he said it was impossible to knock smart mare Pretty Brazen, who maps to get a lovely run from barrier three.
“It was a really good run (in the TAB Classic),” McEvoy said.
“We know the 1400m is a better distance for her, but she went so well behind Instant Celebrity we thought we’d give her a crack and she’ll run very well.”
Pretty Brazen is marked a $26 chance while Dollar For Dollar is the outsider of the field at $41.
