Sauvegarde justifies hot favouritism with third straight win

Emerging three-year-old Sauvegarde has scored her second win in the Great Southern this season and third in succession, justifying her short price to salute for visiting trainer Martin Allan on Boxing Day last week.

Jumping a raging $1.50 favourite, Sauvegarde was bumped at the start and settled fourth but finished powerfully down the outside to grab Round The Point in the shadows of the post.

Her victory in the Byron Bay Brewery Handicap (1230m) was a third in as five starts having broken her maiden status in Mt Barker in November and then winning over 1200m at Pinjarra at her next start.

Apprentice Laqdar Ramoly got the best out of Sauvegarde late in the race at Percy Spencer Racecourse and has ridden the Safeguard filly to all three victories.

Sauvegarde, a $15,000 purchase, has won three consecutive starts in a promising first campaign for Allan.

Albany trainer Roy Rogers was victorious with stayer Ionyx, who broke an exact 365-day winning drought in the final race on the card.

Ridden by Jordan Turner, Ionyx was placed midfield and made his move approaching the home corner to peel out from behind the leaders and power clear in the home straight and win by 1.7 lengths over Mr Pago.

Ionyx contested the TABtouch Country Championship series earlier this preparation and then ran third over 1675m in Bunbury leading into his Albany win.

It was a busy day for stewards, with relatively new apprentice Austin Galati suspended for careless riding in race four aboard Light The Fuse.

He copped a 12-day ban, which expires on January 7, for allowing his mount to shift inwards when insufficiently clear. Galati was also reprimanded for whip use in race one and hoop Willie White was fined $250 for using his whip on three additional occasions than permitted before the 100m in race one.

Jockey Chris Nicoll was fined $250 for failing to ride Motorcar Motorcar out fully in race five and rider Ellie Ashpar was reprimanded in race four for the same offence.