KZN-bred Futura Wins Gr1 L’Ormarins Queens Plate In Style
| KZN-bred Futura Wins Gr1 L’Ormarins Queens Plate In Style |
Brett Crawford’s outstanding KZN-bred Futura set course for a serious assault on the Gr1 J&B Met in three weeks time, as he stormed to victory in the R1 million L’Ormarins Gr1 Queen’s Plate at Kenilworth on Saturday.
A 2012 R500 000 National Yearling Sale graduate, Futura was born at Yellow Star Stud in Mooi River, bred by Guy Murdoch and races in the interests of three very wise racing men in Ian Longmore, John Freeman and Jack Mitchell. Dynasty’s son is a first foal of the lightly raced one-time winning Badger’s Drift mare, Scribblin’ The Cat.
Badger’s Drift, standing at Wood Moore Manor Stud, has the accolade of not only producing Gr1 winners as a sire, but a broodmare sire too.
Bernard Fayd’herbe had the Gr1 Champions Cup winner Futura parked in last and watching his eight opponents from seven lengths back.
Into the home run the field tacked to the outside rail with Ashton Park making things very tight for Louis The King on the rail, as Fayd’herbe made his move down the inside and shot clear with Legislate making no impression.
Inside the final 150m, Strydom got going as Louis The King saw daylight on the outside. But by then the race had been won by Fayd’herbe’s finely timed move, which had been perfectly executed.
The four year old son of Dynasty held a storming Louis The King, a graduate of the Suncoast KZN Yearling Sale, at bay to win by 0,75 lengths in a time of 101,59 secs.
Winning rider Bernard Fayd’herbe said that his race had worked out perfectly.
“I expected Legislate to quicken up but he had been pulling hard and there was nothing there. Obviously Futura doesn’t take as much work as we may think!” he said in a reference to the winner having missed his Diadem prep as a result of coughing.
Trainer Brett Crawford, who finally got it right after being a Queen’s Plate runner-up in the last two years, was ecstatic.
“We were worried that there was going to be no speed on. But Futura has always been a class horse and this is a race every trainer dreams about winning. I am looking forward to the Met in three weeks time!” he said.
Futura has won six of his 10 starts with four places (three in top Group company from Gr1 to Gr3) for stakes of R1 890 075.
At the recent KZN Breeders Awards held in November 2014, Futura won two categories – KZN Breeders Outstanding 3YO Colt and Outstanding Middle Distance Male.
Another Yellow Star Stud connection – Jet Explorer finished fourth behind Futura in the Gr1 Queens Plate. Jet Explorer is by KZN-bred Jet Master out of a mare by former resident sire of Yellow Star Stud, Icelander (USA), who passed away aged 29 in March 2014.
Congratulations to all concerned!
– extract sportingpost.co.za
