DEVONPORT trainer Glenn Stevenson’ persistence with four-year-old mare Savannah Cat finally paid off with an all the way victory at Launceston on Saturday over 1400 metres.
Proving fractious in the barriers throughout her eight start career Savannah Cat remained blindfolded but patient in the stalls under jockey Shannon Brazil for what must have seemed an eternity to Stevenson due to the failure to load Mijn Jongen.
Sent to the front on jumping from an inside stall, Savannah Cat showed good early speed to comfortably hold the lead until challenged rounding the home turn. Never leaving the rails the mare managed to have enough in reserve to score narrowly by a nose on the line from the unlucky Espry with Genuine Gee Gee in third.
Savannah Cat has been quite a project for Stevenson since picking up the mare at the Inglis Sales in early 2011.
Sent to the paddock in October after the mare was again scratched from the barrier in Devonport, Stevenson knew a complete training overhaul was needed to keep her racing.
“After she was scratched at Devonport, we sent her to the paddock for 5 months, I changed her feed and work and although a slow process, gradually the mare has improved’ said Stevenson
Stevenson currently sits sixth on the Tasmanian trainers premiership with 20 winners for the season and a strike rate of 19.80%.