21 Sep 2022Algendy capped off a stellar day for Almanzor when the lightly tried colt produced a sterling effort to break his maiden at Bendigo.
The three-year-old’s success over 1400 metres followed a winning double at Matamata from the Te Akau pair of Zantabulous and Bubbles Await.
Like Zantabulous, Algendy is a graduate of the farm and was purchased by Kavanagh Racing for A$200,000 at the 2021 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale where he was offered on our behalf by Maluka Thoroughbreds.
“We’ve been interested to see the Almanzors coming through as we have bought a few of them,” said Levi Kavanagh, who trains Algendy with his father Mark.
Algendy had finished sixth on debut at Sandown last season and filled a similar placing when he resumed earlier this month.
“He was really good first-up on a heavy track at Geelong and got back and finished off well. We thought he would get through the ground and that the 1400 metres would suit him,” Kavanagh said.
Algendy settled off the pace before picking up ground 600 metres from home and he held a sustained run to deliver the first winning strike of his career.
“I focussed on settling him and he did that well. I had to make a big run on him and he’ll take a lot of improvement from that and be better over more of a trip,” successful rider Damian Lane said.
He is the first winner for the French-bred mare Via Veneto, who is a half-sister to the G1 Epsom Handicap winner He’s Your Man and the G3 Prix Penelope winner Perfect Hedge.
The dam was successful over 2300 metres in France and foaled a filly by Castelvecchio last season before she produced a filly by Hello Youmzain this month.