Sarve (Gavin Lerena) holds off the attentions of Gift Funeka and Blizzard Belle (Pic: Coastal Photos)
With the weather enforced switch of racing from turf to the polytrack, the Corne Spies-trained Listed KZN Stakes winner Sarve proved too strong for her opposition in the R150 000 Listed Milkwood Stakes at Fairview on Friday.
The Favour Stud bred and owned filly was having her first run down in PE but her Vaal sand experience stood her in good stead and she produced the goods like a seasoned professional.
Sarve can certainly turn on the speed and she showed great character as a 3yo lumping 60,5kgs. The topweighted year older local star Yoshie saw her turf draw of 13 booted into touch by the surface switch – which thus had her jumping on the outside on the tight 1000m surface.
Gavin Lerena – four nice winners at Fairview
Backed from 5-1 into 18-10, Sarve ran on well to register a second career stakes victory and win by a half length in a time of 56,24 secs.
Yvette Bremner’s well bred Blizzard Belle received 8,5kgs from the winner and showed her liking for the surface, running on nicely into second.
The ever consistent Lielums was a further 2,75 lengths away in third, with Yoshie a well beaten fourth.
The Favour Stud bred winner is by Sarge out of the Waldoboro mare First Wave, who won four races over the sprints.
Jockey Gavin Lerena rode four winners on the afternoon with S’manga Khumalo only managing one. Their at the top of the SA Jockey championship log looks likely to go all the way to the wire with just over six weeks of the season left.
