Wanganui is becoming a happy hunting ground for the progeny of U S Navy Flag, with the The Oaks Stud stallion siring another two-year-old winner at the venue on Friday.
The young stallion produced his first Southern Hemisphere stakes winner when the Chrissy Bambry-trained Chantilly Lace dominated the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) last month, and Naval Anthem followed suit when taking victory on debut in the Wanganui-Taranaki Racehorse Owners Association Maiden 2YO (800m).
The diminutive Matamata gelding jumped well under apprentice Kelsey Hannan and strode out to lead the juvenile field throughout the running, breaking away in the straight with his effective galloping action from runner-up Bodacious Kate.
“It was a pretty tough run, he did everything he needed too,” trainer Kurtis Pertab said.
“I couldn’t have asked for much more really, he jumped, travelled well and kicked away.”
The successful sire has now equalled Per Incanto’s first season record of seven individual winners in his first season crop of two-year-olds.
A former Champion European 2YO and 3YO Sprinter, U S Navy Flag is a son of War Front and out of four-time Group One winner Misty For Me, and was purchased outright by The Oaks Stud earlier this month from breeding giant Coolmore.
The win also continues Pertab’s outstanding season, with Naval Anthem’s victory extending his winning tally to 11 this season.
Pertab initially bought Naval Anthem as a weanling for $12,500 off gavelhouse.com and he is enjoying racing the juvenile that was initially earmarked as a trade horse.
“I bought him off Gavelhouse as a weanling with the idea to trade, but he never grew so we have kept him,” Pertab said.
“He would have been sold 10-times over if he was big enough. He is from a good family and he is a beautiful-type of horse, but he is just small, so we will just have to race him.”
