PICTURE: Bruno Cannatelli Considered good enough to debut in a stakes race as a 2YO, in which he ran fourth, Evaporate (Per Incanto-Savanna by Animal Kingdom) justified the regard he’s held in by the Hayes stable with an authoritative win at Moonee Valley on Saturday to remain unbeaten as a 3YO.
Confidentially ridden by the in-form ex Kiwi Michael Dee, the 3YO gelding circled the field from the 600m, hitting the front on the point of the turn before drawing away for a three-length win over the 1534m trip.
Dee was suitably impressed with the LA bred gelding. “ I had a talk with Ben and Grace (Ramage) before the race and we weren’t sure what to do,” he said. “We were drawn wide, and there looked to be genuine speed in the race on paper. We ended up further back than we thought, but that was probably good for the horse going forward. He’s quite a keen-going horse, so for him to relax was good. He grabbed the bridle on his own accord and really wanted to be part of it. It was a big improvement from his last win. He still does quite a lot wrong, but we’re getting there with him. As long as he keeps learning and putting it all together, I’m sure you’ll find him in stakes races later on.”
Evaporate was a $330k purchase by Lindsay Park racing from the Sledmere draft on behalf of Little Avondale at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Savanna, the dam of Evaporate, has a Bivouac filly that LA sold to Jim Bruford for $100k at Karaka 2024. She is currently empty and will be covered by Per Incanto this season. Unraced, Savanna is a half-sister to the multiple Australian Group winning Per Incanto mare Belluci Babe, whose first foal, a Zoustar colt is heading to the 2025 Karaka Yearling Sales.
