The Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes Gr.2
The decision of veteran Cape trainer Harold Crawford to send Perovskia (Russian Sage) to KZN for Champions Season paid dividends first up when his four-year-old opened his campaign on a winning note over the 1400m trip.
Favourite Undercover Agent (Captain Al), fresh off his fine win in last month’s Gr.3 Byerley Turk and in search of a hat-trick, took the lead from the jump and turned for home ahead of the pack.
Young Callan Murray aboard Perovskia always had the pacesetter in his sights and switched his mount to the stand side for his challenge.
Undercover Agent knew he had a race on his hands when joined by Perovskia and the pair had the race to themselves over the final furlong.
Perovskia has a reputation of being a difficult horse to pass as Undercover Agent found to his detriment, for Murray kept his mount hard to his task and the gelding lived up to his reputation, taking the honours by a hard-fought head.
“I was always sure that I was going to get there,” said Murray. “I was only worried about what was behind me.”
The Cup Trial is next up for Perovskia who has now won four of his last five outings and six overall.
Although this was his first success at Graded Stakes level, he had capped a hat-trick of wins in the Listed Jet Master Stakes on his penultimate start. A R70,000 graduate of the National 2YO Sale, the gelding has repaid owner J M Mort tenfold, this latest win pushing his earnings to R710,150.
Bred by the Gary Player Stud, the four-year-old is the sole Stakes winner sired by Jallad’s Champion son Russian Sage and is out of the one-time winner What A Gal. By Qui Danzig, she is a half-sister to Gr.3 winner Maker’s Mark (Goldmark) and the Gr.3-placed duo Pro-Amthat of Gr.2 John Skeaping Trophy winner Flying Regent, Gr.3 EP Derby victress Blue Nile and Wolf Power 1600 winner and sire Call To Combat.
By Ritesh Jamkhedkar-Ritesh.Jamkhedkar@secretariatsworld.com