A Curved Ball colt made it look all to easy on debut yesterday at Scottsville, for trainer Wendy Whitehead and owners Geoff Perkins, Michael Sinnema in partnership with Wendy Whitehead.

Purchased off the Klawervlei Farm Sale, the juvenile out of Kahal mare La Mascarata bred by Dr Ian Heyns, sauntered to an easy victory under Craig Zackey over the 1200m comfortably by over a length.

Wendy describes the big colt, named Hard To Play, as having a very gentle and quiet disposition, and had warned Craig not to be put off by his very calm manner, which saw him trotting up the track to the starting stalls in a very relaxed fashion.

Curved Ball’s other progeny attracting attention is the filly Je Suis Silver, a 3-time winner who has also placed four times for trainer Tony Rivalland, and a very exciting filly bred by Anton Procter named On The Bounce, in the care of Charles Laird (the former trainer of Curved Ball), for owner Mayfair Speculators.

On The Bounce has been unlucky to place second in three of her starts from five, yet to be out of the money. She is out of a Captain Al mare, Ribbons For Thee, and has been nominated to run in the Gr1 Thekweni Stakes.

Curved Ball, a Gr2 Dingaans winner, is the only son of Fastnet Rock at stud in South Africa and stands at Warwick and Karin Renders Bush Hill Stud.