Promising South Australian three-year-old Savage Attack staked spring
        carnival claims after he burst home to impressively win the listed $76,000 AR Creswick
        Stakes (Listed) at Flemington today.Trained at
        Strathalbyn by Mark Minervini, Savage Attack will now be spelled before being targeted at
        the Melbourne Spring Carnival. 
        "There are plenty of nice races here (in Melbourne) over
        the spring carnival," Minervini said. 
        While predicting he didn't feel his gelding was up to Group
        One race Minervini felt the gelding still had more improvement and we can expect a better
        horse next preparation. 
        "Right from the start he'd always shown us he had above
        average ability and he's now putting it all together on the track," Minervini added. 
        Purchased by Minervini for $32,500 at the Adelaide Yearling
        Sales, Savage Attack started a warm favourite at Morphettville last start after an eye
        catching effort in the Group Two Yallambee Classic. 
        "He didn't have any sort of luck in the Yallambee and
        probably should have nearly run," Minverini reflected. "The form out of that
        race with Zip Zip Aray has stood up since." 
        After his fast finishing effort in the Yallambee Classic,
        Savage Attack backed up at Morphettville over the Cup weekend and he scored an easy win. 
        In today's race Savage Attack jumped out of the gates in
        reasonable style from the inside before leading local rider Nash Rawiller elected to guide
        the gelding back behind runners and then make a beeline for the outside rail toward the
        rear of the field. 
        From there the gelding weaved between runners and then got
        out in time to chase Lewinsky who'd shot to the front over the concluding stages and for a
        fleeting moment looked the winner. 
        "I didn't talk to Nash about riding it like that,"
        Minervini said. "I left it all up to him." 
        "It was a brilliant ride," Minervini said with a
        smile. 
        Today's win was the first success Minervini has had in a race
        at Flemington. 
        "I've had wins at the other tracks in Melbourne, but
        until today I had not had one here (at Flemington)," he added.  |