Not many win two in a row and certainly not often winning one at Maiden level and then one at rating 65 level at the very next start, however Fortuna three-year-old NAVALHA (Sebring-Afiado) did just that when winning the rating 65 1200 at Matamata today. Starting from Barrier three, he was slightly tardy away and finished up near the back of the field and on the rail, however rider Troy Harris, unflappable as ever, was content to lob along during the running, eased the horse off the rail before they turned, went to the outside and Navalha stormed home like a good horse winning by a length on the line.
Click HERE to see race result and replay
Fortuna Director, John Galvin, was on course along with about 35 Members of Navalha’s ownership group and he was a very happy man. “Great result for the horse, lovely ride by Troy and another win for Jamie Richards, his 99th for the season in NZ – and great to see so many happy owners here, many of whom have traveled from far and wide and some are experiencing their first race day win.”
NAVALHA (which means “Razor” in Portuguese), a 3yo Gelding by Sebring out of the Encosta de Lago Mare, Afiado, was acquired by John Galvin on the recommendation of Fortuna’s Singapore Trainer, Mark Walker, for just A$27,500 from the Inglis Digital Sale late July 2020 after having been originally acquired by his previous owners for A$450k as a yearling.
Navalha is raced by the Fortuna Navalha Syndicate, an ownership group of 57 individuals, several of whom are brand new to horse ownership
Navalha was strapped by Sumeet Pillay