A first Australian stakes-winner for the former Darley stallion Kuroshio and a first for jockey Caitlin Jones when the top-weight Savatoxl ground out a determined win in Saturday’s Listed Adelaide Galvanising Xmas Hcp at Morphettville.
The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained 5yo gelding led all the way to defeat Music Addition (Your Song) by a long-neck with the favourite Too Good Too Hard (All Too Hard) one and a quarter lengths back in third.
A prolific winner in Alice Springs and Darwin, Savatoxl advances his record to 14 wins, one second and two thirds from 25 starts with earnings of $377,280.
Purchased by the Alice Springs Turf Club for $8,000 out of the Stonehouse Thoroughbreds draft at the 2017 Inglis VOBIS Gold Yearling Sale, Savatoxl is the best of three winners from five to race out of the Savabeel mare Li’l Miss Hayley.
A half-sister to stakes-placed Total Response (Kheleyf), Li’l Miss Hayley has a yearling filly bt Needs Further and was covered by him again last spring.
A Group II winning son of Exceed And Excel and a brother to stakes-winner Believe'n'succeed, Kuroshio shuttled to Great Britain for four seasons and did not return after 2018.
In Europe, Kuroshio sired the Group III Sandown Sprint winner Kurious.