Written by Paul Vettise
Paul Messara produced a winning Arrowfield Stud double on his home track at Scone with a pair of well-related 3-year-olds who look set to make their marks in stronger company.
The filly Summer Glow (Not A Single Doubt) set the ball rolling when she broke her maiden in the Pryde’s Easifeed H. and Akasawa (Real Impact {Jpn}) followed her winning lead in the TAB Exclusive On Track Offers H.
Akasawa has been out four times, with his lone defeat an unlucky runner-up finish at Musswellbrook, and stylishly justified his red-hot favouritism being caught wide for the trip. He travelled well three deep under Aaron Bullock and stayed on strongly to pull this supporters through.
“It was a very good win, he had to do it tough. He’s obviously looking for more ground and you can’t deny his tenacity, I’m rapt with that performance,” said Messara’s foreperson Leah Gavranich, who travelled the world with the stable’s multiple Group 1 winner Ortensia (Testa Rossa).
Akasawa failed to meet his $30,000 reserve when offered by Arrowfield at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and is a half-brother to the champion Panama filly Outskirt Lady (USA) (Purge {USA}).
Akasawa as a yearling
Group 1 pedigree
Their unraced dam Forest City Girl (USA) (Deputy Minister {USA}) is a half-sister to the dual Group 1 winner Better Lucky (USA) (Ghostzapper {USA}) while second dam Desert Stormer (USA) (Storm Cat {USA}) won the G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Summer Glow had finished runner-up in her Muswellbrook debut and had no trouble going one better for rider Andrew Gibbons.
Gavranich said the filly had continued to flourish since her first outing. “There is still a stack of improvement in her and has showed a stack of ability all the way through. She stepped a lot cleaner today with that one run under her belt.
“It was a pretty painless watch really. She got a bit tired late, but she’s still a bit tubby and I think she has got a bright future.”
Summer Glow is a daughter of the Magnus mare Miss St Tropez and she is a sister to the two-time Group 2 winner Don’t Doubt Mamma and the Listed Maribyrnong Trial S. winner Risen From Doubt and the family of the multiple Group 1 winners More Joyous (More Than Ready {USA}) and Tuesday Joy (NZ) (Carnegie {Ire}).
Summer Glow as a yearling
