BRC JUL 04 - SAVOIA LANDS BREAKTHROUGH WIN

By Matthew Grimson | Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Eagle Farm, July 4, 2009.
QTIS 2yo Handicap - 1400m. Time: 1-24.89.
Track - Dead 4. Rail - True.
1 Savoia; 2 Captain Sonador; 3 Freton.

Savoia gave trainer Paul Messara the first leg of an impressive winning double at Eagle Farm on Saturday when she took stepped down in class (after finishing unplaced behind Shellscrape in the Listed Australia Post last start)and produced a race winning finish to earn her breakthrough win in only her fourth career start.

Savoia settled in midfield until the field turned for home. She was then momentarily held up for a run and took time to build momentum when shown daylight, but her effort over the last 150m was a decisive one and she cut down the free-running Lady Sonador to win by a more comfortably than the one length margin suggests.

Savoia was Daniel Ganderton’s second ride at Eagle Farm. Ganderton would go on to ride a treble on the day.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Paul Messara: “We get on well together. He (Daniel Ganderton) seems to ride my horses well. She’ll probably be tipped out now, mate. I think she is going to be an Oaks filly next year. She’s out of a New Zealand Oaks winner (Dowry) and she’s thrown more to that side than the Charge Forward (the sire’s) sprinting side. This time next year I think she is going to be in the Sydney Oaks and then the Queensland Oaks. I think she’s going to be that kind of filly. My old man (John Messara) bought her. He fell in love with her at the sales. We offered her (at the sales) for a client and he bought her.”

Jockey Daniel Ganderton: “It’s a great experience to be up here at Eagle Farm today and to get the opportunity to ride for some high quality trainers. Her run the other day was full of merit. To me she seems like she is twelve months away, but there is obviously a bit of ability there once she strings it all together.

“She began fairly and we probably settled a little bit further back than we had anticipated. She lacks a little bit of knowledge so I was happy to ride her that little bit quieter and get her to travel and go through her gears. When I asked her to let down she took a little bit of time to find that stride but she really hit the line well. She is a nice enough filly. She’ll progress over the next twelve months.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Savoia): 10.00 out to 11.00.
Favourite (Deux Chevaux): 4.80 out to 5.00. Finished thirteenth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Coroner, which reared and became cast in the barriers, was declared a late scratching at 12.28 p.m. by order of the stewards acting on veterinary advice. Sandwood and Hallmark Star, which were drawn in the adjoining stalls, were also examined by the veterinary surgeon and passed fit to start Trainer T. Hall will be interviewed in regard to the barrier manners of Coroner.

P. Messara, trainer of Savoia, which proved difficult to load, advised stewards that he was sending the filly for a spell and undertook to trial Savoia before resuming racing. In consideration of this undertaking, stewards did not place any embargo on Savoia.

Pannington and Fast Lover were slow to begin. Approaching the 1000m Man Of Oar improved up on to the heels of Sandwood and when being restrained shifted in hampering Dorsoduro, which was racing ungenerously. Rough Dance over-raced in the early and middle stages. Sandwood raced wide for the majority of the event. B. Stewart, the rider of Dorsoduro, dropped his whip near the 100m. Savoia lost its off-hind plate in running. Post-race veterinary examinations of Our Mr Cashman and Deux Chevaux failed to reveal any abnormalities.

As S. Galloway was stood down from his remaining engagements by the Club's doctor, riding replacements were made as per the Stewards Race Day Summary. Due to S. Galloway's recent history of failing to fulfil his engagements at various race meetings due to illness, stewards ordered that S. Galloway undergo a full medical examination in accordance with AR 81(f)(2). A 54 kilogram minimum weight embargo was also placed on S. Galloway until 1 August 2009.

Footnote: Former Premiership winning rider Stathi Katsidis returned to race riding here after a suspension and injury-enforced layoff had kept him out of the saddle for seventeen months. Katsidis rode the Bryan Guy trained False Accusation, who finished sixth.

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