Karaka Million qualifier
Talented two-year-old filly Hasahalo (Savabeel x Halloween) has qualified for New Zealand’s richest race on just her second outing.
She was beaten by the barest of noses in the $100,000 Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes at Trentham on Saturday and with a touch more luck could have easily become a Group 2 winner.
Savabeel progeny aren’t renowned for peaking this early but trainer Stephen McKee wasn’t surprised by the rapid progression of this filly. “She is that talented. We actually expected this result from her in her first race in the listed Murdoch Newell Stakes. But she was checked badly and was unable to recover. Now she has shown everyone her professionalism and just what she is capable of.”
Hasahalo’s next race, in the Group 3 Eclipse Stakes worth $70,000 at Ellerslie on the 1st of January, will be her final outing prior to the highly anticipated Karaka Million on the 29th of January.
Stephen McKee is no stranger to the Karaka Million having trained last year’s winner, Xiong Feng.