Backworth-bred Crusade Filly Impresses On Debut, Eightfold Path Filly Flies
After heavy rains had fallen overnight which resulted in a venue change from Scottsville to Greyville, R25 000 purchase Crimean Queen impressed to fly through and win on debut by over two lengths in the first Maiden Plate Juvenile race of the season in KZN.
By Crusade out of unplaced Victoria by Albert Hall, the filly is closely related to Rathmor Stud’s star family of Gypsy’s Warning, Romany Prince and Tales Of Bravery.
Bred by Backworth Stud and sold at their dispersal sale earlier this year, she is trained by Mike Miller and owned in partnership by Messrs Sunil Singh, M D Miller and Miller Racing Syndicate (Nom: Mr Sterling M Miller). She is the second foal for her dam and the first winner – she has a year older sibling by Oratorio that is as yet unraced.
This is Crusade’s 20th individual winner and he had a remarkable day yesterday at Greyville – producing a 1-2 result in the first race, and The Grey Crusader unlucky once again to finish second in the fourth race. The half-brother to mulitiple winner Black Pepper has placed from all of this starts – several finishing second!
Another place for Crusade yesterday was Paul Lafferty’s previous winner, Exquisite Eight, in Race 7 over 1600m.
Eightfold Path produced his seventh individual winner yesterday, when his highest-priced yearling won with ease in her third start.
With three runs in hand and a startling second in her second start where she showed plenty of courage to come back, she won of Louis Goosen and owner Mario Ferreira over 1000m.
Mbali, a half-sister to Gr2 Umkhomazi winner Harry Lime, is bred by Rathmor Stud and sold for R325 000 at the 2016 National Yearling Sale.
Crusade was recently given the KZN Breeders Award for Stallion Prospect.
