Valentine’s Reward hit punters for six when she led home a long-shot trifecta in the Only A Little Bit Over Maiden (1200m) at Seymour on Thursday.

The Reward For Effort filly won on debut just a stone’s throw from where her sire stands at Chatswood Stud.  Sent off a $26 outsider, she sat on the pace to score by three-quarters of a length from Skywishes ($61) and Triple Effort ($21).

Reward For Effort is a Top 5 Australian freshman this season and he leads the Victorian premiership with 6 first-crop winners for earnings of $360,670.  Next best is Stryker with 5 winners of $207,500.

The G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner was also represented by South African winning filly Tender Mist at Turffontein in April.

Valentine’s Reward (2f Reward For Effort – Valentine’s Gift by Ifrad) banked a Super VOBIS incentive first-up for her owners Peter Burdon, Valerie Grubb, Chris Hoffmann, Allan Jenes, Craig Mackie, Don Pegler, Greg Peters and John Quadrino.

She was a $55,000 buy for trainer Byron Cozamanis out of the Chatswood consignment at the 2014 Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sale and is a younger half-sister to Victorian stakes winners Tszyu (Encosta de Lago) and Grand Duels (Marechal).

There are 5 Reward For Effort foals catalogued for Inglis Great Southern Sale on Sunday and Monday.  His filly from Messalina (Lot 89) is first to parade at Oaklands Junction – she is from a half-sister to Red Hannigan (G2 Pago Pago Stakes) and Vital Agreement (LR Gosford Guineas).

Reward For Effort (Exceed And Excel) will stand for an $11,000 (inc gst) fee at Chatswood Stud this year.

VALENTINE’S REWARD
Seymour winner by Reward For Effort
Photo / Slickpix