Savvy purchase a good Lad The combination of trainers Michael and Matthew Pitman and owner Jim Bruford has again come to the fore during New Zealand Cup week in Christchurch.

Three-year-old gelding Savvy Lad oozed class when successful on Wednesday in the NZB Ready To Run Sale Premier (1400m) and the son of Savabeel bares a striking similarity to another top-performer raced by the Pitman-Bruford combination. “This horse is like Savvy Coup's little bro. He is very similar in a lot of ways,” Michael Pitman said. “He is a classy horse.”

Savvy Lad was having his fourth career start for his second win to go with two runner-up finishes. The Riccarton-trained three-year-old was on the quick back-up after breaking maiden ranks in impressive fashion on Saturday, the opening day of New Zealand Cup week. “I've had calls from Australia and Hong Kong trying to buy him since he won on the first day of the carnival,” Pitman said. “If they throw enough money at us, they can buy him.”

Savvy Lad was purchased by Bruford for just $13,500 via gavelhouse.com and is out of a Redoute's Choice sister to South African Group 1 performer Solid Choice.

Under a patient Sam Weatherly ride, Savvy Lad was presented in plenty of time to defeat quality filly Miss Federer, whose tenacity was again on show when beaten one length by the progressive gelding. “She fought hard and once the other horse got to her, he looked like he was going to run on by, but to her credit she stuck to her task,” trainer of Miss Federer, Andrew Carston said. “I am really happy going forward to the autumn as we know she is going to get 1400m.”