Not a lot went right in the early stages for Godolphin’s two-year-old Sebring colt Gravina who was hung out on a limb from the outside gate before Hugh Bowman elected to push on to the front and it proved the winning move.
The most experienced runner in Friday night’s 1200 metre maiden at Canterbury, Gravina kept up a strong gallop in the straight to defeat the short-priced favourite Blondeau (I Am Invincible) by one and a quarter lengths with a further lengths back to the solid finishing debutant On The Lead (I Am Invincible) back in third.
It was the fourth starts for Gravina who had finished third behind Time Is Precious in the Victory Vein Plate at Randwick when on debut back in October.
A rare Godolphin homebred son of Sebring, Gravina is the third foal and first winner out of the Listed MRC Chairman's Stakes (1000m) winner Metastasio (Street Cry) whose half-sister Librettista (Elusive Quality) the dam of Listed winner and Grade 1-placed Frenzied (Yeats).
Metastasio’s unraced dam Libretto (Singspiel) is a half-sister to Group II winner Wareed (Sadler’s Wells) and the Group II EP Taylor Stakes winner Truly A Dream (Darshaan) and the stakes-placed Solo De Lune (Law Society).
Truly A Dream is the dam of Group II winner and dual Group 1 placed Dream Peace (Dansili) while Solo de Lune is the dam of the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Cerulean Sky (Darshaan) and the Group 1 Irish Oaks winner Moonstone (Dalakahni).
Metastasio has a yearling filly by Medaglia D'Oro (USA) and was covered last spring by Ribchester (IRE).
Sebring died in February 2019. His penultimate crop of yearlings is on offer this year.
