With the more fancied pair of Spero Optima and Mohican folding to nothing, the rampant Gavin Lerena got the Robbie Sage-trained Green Laser to launch halfway down the home straight and register his maiden stakes success with an eyecatching victory in the R200 000 Gr3 Sea Cottage Stakes at Turffontein on Saturday.
Trying the 1800m for the first time and bred to go a trip, Green Laser burst through a gap at the 350m after the grey filly Snow Palace had set the fractions.
Gavin Lerena steer Green Laser to a smooth win (Pic – JC Photos)
With both Mohican and Spero Optima given every chance as they tracked the leader all the way around and down the strip, Green Laser (13-2) was the standout as he burst through from two lengths off in fifth and ran on powerfully beat recent maiden winner Cornish Pomodoro (11-1) by 2,25 lengths.
It was Gavin Lerena’s third winner of the afternoon.
Imperial Ruby (40-1) ran a cracker from a wide draw to run third a half length further back, with the rest well beaten and Whiskytangofoxtrot (44-1) rounding off a R7 769 quartet.
The fancied Mohican (5-1), who apparently needs time to mature, and joint topweight Spero Optima (8-10) ran 17 and 23 lengths off the winner respectively.
Placed third in the Listed Secretariat Stakes last time, Green Laser, a R100 000 National Yearling Sales graduate, has now won 2 races with 3 places from 7 starts for stakes of R244 150.
Bred by Varsfontein Stud, Green Laser is a son of SA’s leading first crop sire of 2015/16 Gimmethegreenlight (More Than Ready), out of the Parade Leader mare, Dance Domain.
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Gr3 Sea Cottage Stakes (SAf-Gr3)
Turffontein, South Africa, January 25, R200k, 1800m, turf, soft, 1.53.11
1 – GREEN LASER (SAF), 58.0, b c 3, Gimmethegreenlight (AUS) – Dance Domain (SAF) by Parade Leader (USA). Owner Messrs M Lieveaux & J R van der Linden; Breeder Varsfontein Stud; trainer RR Sage; jockey G Lerena
2 – Cornish Pomodoro (SAF), 58.0, b c 3, Pomodoro (SAF) – Splinter (SAF) by Casey Tibbs (IRE)
3 – Imperial Ruby (SAF), 60.0, ch g 3, Silvano (GER) – Ruby Necklace (IRE) by Sadler’s Wells (USA)
Margins: 2.25, 0.50, 3.00
