The Snitzel filly Serasana will target the $2,000,000 Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield in February after making a perfect start to her race career in Saturday’s Ladbroke It Hcp (1000m) at Sandown-Hillside.
Ridden by Dean Yendall for Robbie Griffiths and Mathew de Kock, Serasana tracked the early speed set by Ouroboros before taking control in the straight.
The daughter of Snitzel defeated the Harry Angel (IRE) colt Ouroboros by three and a quarter lengths, with the Shamexpress filly Mislead a length and a quarter back in third.
There will be plenty of celebrating in South Africa as Serasana is part-owned by Drakenstein Stud and south African native Mathew de Kock is back home to be married.
Griffiths deKock Racing / MDK International / Peter Ford Thoroughbreds (FBAA) shelled out $400,000 for Serasana from the Kia Ora Stud draft at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Robb
ie Griffiths said the stable hold Serasana in high regard.
“She has been a good filly from the get-go. She was a quality filly at the Easter Sales and makes the $400,000 look cheap now,” Griffiths said.
‘The internationals are over there in the early hours of the morning. They were upbeat when we sent the videos over last night.
“She has always been a little steady to get into stride, but she is very strong after anything she has done in her education, and that is what she did today.
“Her mum (Twilight Royale) was a (VRC) Sires’Produce Stakes filly, and she won what is now the (Inglis) Millennium, so she has plenty of substance behind her with genetics and on talent. It is all ahead of her.”
A sister to stakes-placed Royal Hale, Serasana is the fourth winner from five to race out of Testa Rossa’s Group II VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Twilight Royale.
A $45,000 Inglis Premier purchase for Bjorn Baker, Twilight Royale banked $495,750 before selling to James Bester Bloodstock for $580,000 at the National Broodmare Sale in 2014.
Twilight Royale has a yearling colt by I Am Invincible and foaled a filly by Kia Ora Stud’s resident stallion Farnan on October 8.
Champion sire Snitzel has 46 catalogued for the Magic Millions, two at the Inglis Classic and one at Karaka.
