The Normandy Stud-bred Miss Putin scored the surprise in the second race at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Wednesday to give regally-bred stallion Quasillo an icebreaking first winner from his only runner to date.
Trained by Michael Miller, Miss Putin, a R50 000 2020 Cape Premier Yearling Sale graduate, had finished fourth on debut and went one better with a fine display, against winners, in Wednesday’s Juvenile Plate (Fillies) over 1200m.
Under Jabu Jacobs, Miss Putin came with a powerful late run to get up close home and win going away by nearly half a length to beat her fancied stablemate, Civil Rights.
Breeder Oscar Foulkes said that they loved Miss Putin as a yearling ‘but all the market had for her was R50 000’. The knowledgeable horseman suggests she will go a trip.
Out of the Gimmethegreenlight mare Yekaterina, Miss Putin is the only runner thus far for Quasillo, a half-brother to Maine Chance Farms’ top-class Querari and a winner of two of his three starts including the Gr3 Bavarian Classic.
The only son of legendary racehorse and sire Sea The Stars – whose progeny include the exciting British sire Sea The Moon – at stud in South Africa, Quasillo is one of four stakes winners produced by the stakes placed Acatenango mare Quetena.
The latter is also dam of German champion, and now leading South African sire, Querari, Gr2 Ballston Spa Stakes victress Quidura, and Doncaster Mile winne Sharjah Bridge.
One of more than 70 stakes winners for his outstanding sire, the Klipdrif Stud-based Quasillo has a single lot on offer at this year’s National Yearling Sale -a half-brother (Lot 57) to this season’s Gr2 Dingaans/Gr3 Tony Ruffel Stakes winner Catch Twentytwo.
Quasillo moved from Klipdrif to Maine Chance when it was apparently found that he was sub-fertile.