Starting well in the market off the back of his solid recent form, the Darryl Carrison trained Sav On Ice was contesting his first black type race, and took home the prize, winning the Listed SAJC Balaklava Cup (1600m) on Wednesday.
Jumping from barrier 14 of 15, the Rochelle Milnes ridden 4yo settled in a mid-field position about three horses off the rail with cover.
With 1000m to run, the New Zealand bred Wild Imagination (Makfi) had the lead with last year’s Balaklava Cup runner up Dubai Poet (GB) (Lope de Vega) in second while Sir Prancealot gelding Sir Kingsford, a winner of his last three, was tracking along in third.
As the field reached the home bend, Sir Kingsford made a short-lived run to take the lead before Sav On Ice started to extend down the outside of the field under Milnes.
With race favourite Watadeel (Dundeel) finally seeing some clear running towards the inside, jockey Jacob Opperman started to make some ground, but it was too little, too late as Sav On Ice kept running, holding off the late charge of Pudding (NZ) (Tavistock) by a little over a length on the line.
Working home into the third was Watadeel with initial race leader Wild Imagination battling back to take fourth, some two lengths behind the winner.
Taking his record to five wins and a second from 11 starts with $184,100 in earnings, Sav On Ice was consigned through the Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale draft of Brooklyn Park Stud where he was knocked down to his trainer for $90,000.
Bred by he Mr R Dunnett, Sav On Ice is one of four winners, and the first stakes winner from five named foals out of the unraced Mastercraftsman mare Shemakhan (NZ), herself a half-sister to Listed winner Top Act (O’Reilly).
Shemakhan unfortunately passed away after just two further foals, with her current 3yo being a filly named Gee Tee in the Tony and Calvin McEvoy yard while the current 2yo is an unnamed colt by Grunt.
Becoming the sixth stakes winner for Shamardal stallion Puissance de Lune, winner of the Group 2 P.B. Lawrence Stakes and the Group 2 Blamey Stakes, the consistent grey also finished second and third in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes in consecutive years, a race being held this coming weekend.
Puissance de Lune is currently listed as FOA for the current season at Swettenham Stud.
