3 minute read
Last year’s Premier sale-topper makes winning start to racing career.
Crosswinds, the second most expensive yearling ever sold in Victoria, got his racing career off to the perfect start at Ballarat on Tuesday.
The Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained son of Capitalist, who was the top lot at last year's Inglis Premier Yearling Sale when knocked down to James Harron for $1.1 million, was a dominant winner of the Pipe Pro Directional Drilling 2YO Maiden Plate (1100m).
Crosswinds was ridden to victory by Mark Zahra, who was forced to correct the colt over the concluding staged when he veered out but gave a glowing post-race report.
"It was very easy," Zahra said "He keeps improving this horse.
"It was only a small field (of four) but I was travelling a lot better than the leader and everything around me the whole way, he had a bit of a look at the winning post on the line, but I think he's a horse that's on the up."
Crosswinds ($1.85 fav), who was engaged to make his debut at Bendigo last Tuesday only to be scratched owing to the Heavy track, scored by 1-1/4 lengths from Naiconi ($5.50) with Federation Rocks ($7) 4-1/2 lengths away third.
The third foal to race from Listed Gimcrack Stakes-winning Fastnet Rock mare Gybe, Crosswinds sits alongside Octane (I Am Invincible x Soorena), who cost $1.4 million in 2017, as the only seven-figure yearlings sold in Victoria