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2012 GLENFERRIE FARM NZ 2YO TROTTING STAKES

Habibti went to the head of the first season trotting class with an emphatic display in the $25,000 Glenferrie Farm NZ 2YO Trotting Stakes at Addington last Saturday night.

In the first juvenile trotting feature of the season, where favouritism had been disputed between Royal Aspirations and Paramount Queen, Habibti was eased away from the seven gate by David Butt but a quick burst at the 1300m landed the flashy chestnut filly in front and Butt was able to dictate things from there. Another spurt with a 29.6 quarter down the back took the stuffing out of the chasers and Habibti was on her own in the run home, crossing the line with three and a half lengths to spare over Sheemon and Paramount Queen.

On a blustery night which subdued times noticeably, Habibti posted 2 27.8 and a 2 01.9 mile rate and this was only .3 of a second outside Kylie Ree's national filly record. The all-comers mark is still held by Tony H at 2 27.1 after a titanic struggle with the freak filly Jo Anne in the 2001 Trotting Stakes.

Habibti has been in pretty much every battle from the start of the season and she has now had two wins, three second and three thirds from eight races for Rangiora's Robert 'Bolty' Paterson and David and Catherine Butt's Birchbrook Breeding Ltd. Bred by Gaby Maghzal, Habibti is the fourth foal and first filly from the Sundon mare Ten To One, who began racing at five for Dick Petrie and who retired at 11 with six wins, five of them at seven. Her first three foals have qualified without racing yet, with Maghzal acquiring her as a broodmare and her second foal Gabrielli, after first racing a close relation and smart juvenile Signor Gabrielli some 30 years ago. Paterson also races Musgrove, a winner of $170,000 and a game third from 40m two races earlier.

Habibti was coming off a slightly disappointing second at Rangiora the previous week, when she was gunned down by Rosemma. "We had her blood done after that and it turned out she was a bit crook," said David Butt. "She's only made two wee mistakes in her life - in her first start back in January and then in her first look at a grass track at Methven. She's always appealed as a good staying type and she's getting stronger all the time," he added.

Habibti is not paid up for the Sires Stakes in a month's time, bu Butt said they will "have to look at the late entry fee now. Initially I wasn't that keen because the $6000 is only for the one race - it doesn't put you back in the 3yo series. But we'll have to think about it now that she has won it I guess."


Credit: Frank Marrion writing in HRWeekly 12Apr2012

2012 SEELITE WINDOWS & DOORS SIRES STAKES 2YO TROTTERS CHAMPIONSHIP

Mo Hahn leaves for Cambridge on Friday and Sheemon will be on the float with him. Not only are they fairly new paddock mates but they both make the trip taking winning form from Addington with them.

Sheemon scored a narrow win by a neck for Dexter Dunn over Habibti in the Group 2 Seelite Windows & Doors Sires' Stakes 2YO Trotters Championship. Habibti has never missed the first three in ten starts this season. Sheemon has won three from nine starts and only once been worse than third. In their last three clashes, Sheemon has now beaten Habibti twice and Habibti won the other.

As usual, Habibti tried to beat them for stamina, but she was not able to get away with her hard-running style this time. Paramount Queen led the chase and joined her before she was beaten back over the last 100m. In the meantime, Dexter had cut the corner with Sheemon. It allowed him to pinch some ground, and the son of Monarchy was soon up the lane and closing on Habibti. It was just the little touch of genius that turned hope into reality.

Trainer Kevin Townley is keen on getting back to Cambridge, where the Jewels have been fair to him before. "I've been placed with horses each time there now," he said. But Sheemon has the speed to win it, and he's up a level on Townley's previous contestants, Neville Vaughan, The Ultimate Galleon, Medora and Dream Machine. "All along I've meticulously watched every race for the 2-year-olds," said Townley. "I'm not saying Sheemon is any better than the others, but I can't say I've seen any that are better."

Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 16 May 2012

2013 STORER MOTERS/ NZ TROTTERS TRUST NZ TROTTING OAKS

The years NZ Trotting Oaks always promised to be a match race between the two outstanding Love You chestnut fillies Habibti and Paramount Queen, and the G3 race did not disappoint.

With odds on favourite Habibti on the second line and Paramount Queen drawn wide in a full field, the latter was always going to leave alertly for the front, but Blair Orange also knew it would only be a matter of time before Habibti and David Butt came round to take up the challenge.

Paramount Queen was clear and cruising by five lengths when they settled for the first run up the straight, while Habibti was in the three wide train with cover from the start but not making any progress as they straightened into the back straight. Butt had to then pull Habibti four wide and set sail for Paramount Queen, who had been taking them along at a merry clip on a cool and blustery evening. Butt paused momentarily before issuing his challenge as they swung for home, and Habibti was always travelling too strongly, going on to score by a length and a half in a relatively sedate 2:00.7 mile rate for the 1950m.

A week earlier, Habibti had shown blistering speed in accounting for Royal Aspirations and Sheemon in 2:22.3 (MR 1:57.4), which actually broke Stig's all-age national record by .4 of a second. Quite A Moment, who had a minor soreness issue when she raced previously in the Sales event, did well for third in a gap of four lengths, but the rest were simply outclassed. The siring quinella came as a result of Love You's second crop of 20-odd foals, having produced Sires Stakes winner Lotalov in the first. The last time this had been achieved in the race was in 2005, when One Over Kenny downed Petite Sunset for Sundon.

Habibti, one of last year's top 2-year-olds and winner of the Trotting Stakes while being narrowly beaten in the Sires Stakes, has won four of five races this season, with her only defeat being when going for a rare gallop when leading at the 300m in the Hambletonian Classic won by Paramount Queen. Butt has been battling back soreness and tie up issues with Habibti lately, but is obviously on top of things now. "She had a bit of tying up last year, but she's been a lot worse this time in and the morning of the Hambletonian she could hardly walk," said Butt. "So afterwards we changed her feed dramatically and now she does something everyday. Tomorrow she'll go for a jog just to get a sweat up, when most would be having the day off. Tie up is usually a build up in excess energy," he added.

Having made the late payment to contest this season's Sires Stakes series and the Prelude a week earlier, Habibti now goes forth to the NZ Trotting Derby next week and another round with Paramount Queen, Royal Aspirations and Sheemon, with probably only Saratoga capable of mixing it with them and perhaps a wild card in Blitzthemcalder. The latter, although impressive with a 1:56;6 mile at Melton last Friday night, could be in for a rude awakening with the quality of this crop of 3-year-olds.

Habibti will then head for Auckland for the GN Trotting Derby and Sires Stakes, and then quite possibly straight on to Australia. "We're thinking about going for the NSW Trotting Oaks and Derby and Victoria Trotting Oaks over three weeks, rather than the Jewels. She's a strong filly and probably better off racing the longer trips, than a mile, plus you only get one shot at Oaks and Derby races. Those three races go for $150,000 Australian, rather than one race for $100,000 here, and then you still have the Victorian Trotting Derby in July all going well." Butt said.

David and Catherine Butt's Birchbrook Breeding Ltd races Habibti with Rob and Lynne Paterson of Rangiora after she was purchased privately as a yearling from breeder Gaby Maghzal. At the same time they bought Habibti's chestnut brother Lothario, a good second in a 2yo trot the previous week at Addington, but he's been turned out for the season. "He's going to be a good 3yo next year, but he's not quite up to the top ones at the moment."

Credit: HRWeekly 27Mar13

2013 SEELITE WINDOWS & DOORS NZ TROTTING DERBY

Just when it seemed Habibti could take her level of performance no higher, she does. There was no other conclusion at the end of the fascinating finish to the Seelite Windows and Doors NZ Trotting Derby at Addington last Friday night.

After looking only good for third at the top of the straight, when Blitzthemcalder and Royal Aspirations had put two lengths on her, she gamely clung to them, and then started to close in. Blitzthemcalder, a handsome back horse with a reputation to match, did enough to keep a narrow margin on Royal Aspirations, but Habibti was a different kettle of fish. On she came, slowly at first but chasing hard and then deceptively quickly to beat the pair by two necks in a gruelling last 100 metres.

How good are these young trotters? Not only did Habibti break the 2600m mobile record for her age by running 3:13.5, which eclipsed the 3:17.7 set by Shezoneoftheboyz, but it was also inside the allcomers mark of 3:15.1 held by Jasmyn's Gift and faster than Christen Me took to win the Superstars.

"She was pretty tired at the end," said her driver and co-trainer Davey Butt. "Turning in I didn't think I was a show of winning, but half-way down I knew she would. She felt good out of the gate and she's done the job at both ends. You don't get many who can do that, and she's got a lot more speed now," he said.

Habibti, a chestnut by Love You, gave Butt extra pleasure because he is a part-owner with Robert 'Bolty' Paterson and Lynne Paterson. "I've never owned one that good. She's had this tie-up problem, but she seems good at the moment," he said. Habibti now continues her campaign at the Auckland Rowe Cup meeting which starts on Friday week.

Among those to congratulate Butt was his cousin Paul Nairn, a superb trainer of trotters, who said he was breaking in Habibti's yearling sister, a taller type. Meahwhile Chris Alford, was left wondering how success eluded Blitzthemcalder. "What did I do wrong?" said the Aussie ace.

Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 10Apr2013