ADDEYBB’s Australian adventure paid handsome dividends for connections over the weekend as the chesnut son of PIVOTAL battled strongly to win the Ranvet Stakes (Group 1) at Rosehill. In the process, Addeybb became the 31st Group 1 winner sired by Pivotal.
William Haggas’s charge showed excellent form last year with victories in the Wolferton (Listed) and Rose of Lancaster (Group 3), before capping his season with a valiant second to Magical (Galileo) in the Champion Stakes (Group 1) at Ascot in October. Although the drying ground was against him at Rosehill, Addeybb dug in deep on his first start of the campaign to master dual-Group 1 winner Verry Elleegant (Zed) and salute by half a length. Back in third was last year’s winner AVILIUS (Pivotal), winner of three Group 1 races Down Under, who would also have preferred a slower track.
Addeybb’s success was the second leg of a wonderful double for William Haggas and Tom Marquand, who had earlier won the N E Manion Cup (Group 3) with YOUNG RASCAL, a son of former Cheveley Park Stud resident INTELLO.
The highlight of Saturday’s card was the Golden Slipper (Group 1) in which HUNGRY HEART (Frankel) finished a fine fifth. Out of the Pivotal mare Harlech, Hungry Heart broke her maiden in a Group 2 last month. Pivotal’s daughters provided the winners of 12 Group 1 races in 2019 and Hungry Heart may be capable of adding to her damsire’s tally in the future.
William Haggas’s raiders now head for The Championships at Randwick on April 11, where the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Group 1) and the Sydney Cup (Group 1) are the aims for Addeybb and Young Rascal, respectively.