Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis has announced the retirement of Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner Noverre.
“Noverre has been retired and has been bought by Waikato Stud and he’ll stand next season at Waikato Stud,” Ellis said on Weigh In.
The classy son of champion sire Savabeel, was out of the money only once in his seven starts, with his three career wins including the Gr.3 War Decree Stakes (1600m) to go with his 2000 Guineas victory.
The handsome entire had his career cut short after sustaining ligament damage just below a sesamoid bone, close to the suspensory last month.
Bred by Chittick Investments Ltd, Noverre was an $800,000 purchase from Waikato Stud’s 2020 Book 1 yearling draft at Karaka.
Noverre is the first named foal out of the Group Three winning Rip Van Winkle mare Magic Dancer, who in turn is out of the multiple stakes winner Dazzling Belle.
Waikato Stud retained a share in the well-bred colt who was set to contest feature races in Australia through the autumn.
Ellis also announced plans for Sunday’s impressive Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) winner On The Bubbles, who will now head to the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on January 22.
“I have no doubt he’ll get a mile, he’ll probably get 2000m if that’s the sort of race we needed him to win,” Ellis said.
“Any two-year-old that can get 1400m on a soft track at Awapuni will always get a mile as a three-year-old.”
Ellis was also positive about the decision to move the annual New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale series from the traditional January date to now start on March 7.
“When I was looking at the horses for the Ready to Run sale I saw a few yearlings at that time and I thought this is a vintage year, a vintage crop of yearlings, absolutely top quality,” he said.
“I can’t wait to start looking at them in early February. It is going to be very exciting to see how the sale works in that period in March, I think it’ll be very successful and certainly gives me the first January at the beach ever.”
