27 Apr 2024Our Tavistock mare Snazzytavi crowned a memorable day at Te Rapa for all concerned when she romped to victory in the time-honoured G3 Easter Handicap.
She had to overcome the outside barrier and she did that in grand fashion to complete a winning double in our colours following two-year-old Thooza’s dream winning debut earlier in the program.
Admirably managed by trainers Graham Richardson and Rogan Norvall, Snazzytavi settled toward the back of the field before the four-year-old improved wide near the turn.
When regular rider Warren Kennedy asked her for a serious effort into the straight, the response was electric and Snazzytavi thundered clear to win easing down by three and three-quarter lengths.
“Wow, she can gallop all right and I can’t wait until next season, that was an enormous effort,” Richardson said.
Snazzytavi will now head for a richly deserved break as the winner of five of her 10 starts with Group 1 weight-for-age targets already on her radar for next season.
“I think she’ll get up over more ground in time as well, she just needs to learn a little bit more about being a racehorse,” Richardson said.
“Races like the Herbie Dyke Stakes and Zabeel Classic are great targets that we can try to work towards.”
Kennedy was again impressed with Snazzytavi’s turn of foot.
“She can really turn it on and they went at a good clip out in front. She made up five or six lengths in the space of about 100 metres in the straight,” he said.
“It was really quick, really sharp, and she sustained it to the line.”
Snazzytavi is a daughter of the Zabeel mare Ritzy Lady, who won six races and showed her staying ability with a victory in the Listed New Zealand St Leger and finished runner-up in the G2 Counties Cup.