The progressive Crusade filly Covered In Snow prevailed in a thrilling finish to the R150 000 Listed Swallow Stakes at Turffontein on Saturday evening to register a hat-trick and provide her sire with his first stakes win.
Muzi Yeni drives Covered In Snow forward as fourth placed No More Words (Gunter Wrogemann) challenges (Pic – JC Photos)
The Swallow Stakes stampede produced the tight finish anticipated, with the 1160m race remaining wide open right up to the photo finish.
Muzi Yeni – nicely judged win
Regular pilot Muzi Yeni had Covered In Snow tucked up a few lengths off the pace and he sent her for home at the 200m. The Diane Stenger-trained speedster resisted the challenge of the good looking Frederico’s Dream, who had shown a lot of pace, to get the verdict by a head in a time of 66, 71 secs.
The fancied Australian-bred San Fermin flew up late for third a neck back, with No More Words completing the quartet. The first four finished within 0,55 lengths of each other.
Racing in the familiar Peter White silks, Covered In Snow has now won 3 on the trot – all over the 1160m – after finishing third on debut in October. She has banked stakes of R221 375.
Bred at Clifton Stud, Covered In Snow is out of the four-time winner Blue Nevada (Anytime).
Crusade (Mr Greeley – La Traviata)
A KZN Breeders Syndicate stallion who stands at Scott Bro’s, Crusade is a son of the now deceased Mr Greeley (Gone West) who left behind more than 60 stakes winners, a tally which included the Gr1 winners Nownownow, Reel Buddy, Finsceal Beo, Western Aristocrat, Aruna, Saoirse Abu and leading sire El Corredor.
Crusade is out of the top-class racemare La Traviata – winner of the Gr3 Victory Ride Stakes. This is the same family as Sun Teddy – the male line ancestor of outstanding US sire Damascus.
A well bred stallion who was a top-class Gr1 winning juvenile, Crusade has produced winners over sprints and further.
