Entisaar wins the Ruffian Stakes (Pic-JC Photos)
Mike De Kock produced the R150 000 Listed Ruffian Stakes gem again at Turffontein on Saturday after his champion Majmu won the race last year. This time round it was the More Than Ready filly Entisaar, in the same blue and white silks, who came out on debut to beat some useful looking winners.
Entisaar was all the rage and backed into 12 to 10 in the field of thirteen, which included KZN visitor Toni Performs and Mike Azzie’s forward looking debut winning pair of Mella Maria and Spring Wonder.
The Corne Spies-trained Speedy Suzy is very quick and she led the charge for the first 600m as Delpech had Entisaar relaxed a few lengths behind.
At the 250m marker Entisaar was given the office and she turned on the charm as she went past Speedy Suzy with ease to win going away.
Entisaar galloped on powerfully to beat Speedy Suzy by 1,25 lengths in a time of 56,93 secs – faster than the colts equivalent run a half hour earlier!
Outsiders Pacifica and Nomvula kicked on well but too late as they scrapped over the third and fourth cheques.
Anthony Delpech – rode Entisaar
Johan Janse van Vuuren’s Lecture filly Pacifica was making her debut and despite jumping out awkwardly at the start, came on strongly to get fourth.Pencil her in.
The Mike Azzie coupling of recent debut winners Mella Maria and Spring Wonder were both hanging in, with the latter also returning with a speedy cut. They ran fifth and stone last respectively in a disappointing race for the yard.
Assistant trainer Mathew de Kock commented: “Entisaar was boxed in halfway through the race, she wanted to take a narrow gap between runners and couldn’t get through, but she persisted, came again and reeled in a strong pacemaker to win well.”
He added: “Entisaar was showing us her mettle at home, but we didn’t have a two-year-old winner to get a line on, she was our first this term and we’re impressed. She will improve a lot and enjoy it a bit further too.”
Mathew said that Entisaar is likely to be prepared for the Gr3 Pretty Polly Stakes over 1100m at Turffontein on 28 March and that she could go for the Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery at the same venue a month later.
The winner (like Majmu last year) races in the blue and white silks of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum and was bred in Australia by Echo Beach Bloodstock, Vic
She is by More Than Ready (USA) and is the first winner for the Gr3 placed Catbird mare, Purrpurrlena (AUS), a daughter of stakes-winner Magdalena.
Shadwell have been big buyers at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in recent years and Entisaar looks to be another of their successful purchases.
She was purchased for $300,000 from the draft of Vinery Stud.
She becomes the 139th stakes-winner for More Than Ready, who has a big draft of some 30 yearlings for Inglis Easter in April.
