ENTISAAR (AUS) made a smart winning debut in the Ruffian Stakes for two-year-old fillies over 1000m at Turffontein on Saturday, the same Listed feature that launched the brilliant Majmu’s career in 2014.

Entisaar was backed into 12-10 to follow in the footsteps of her illustrious stable companion. Jockey Anthony Delpech had no problems at the start compared to last year when Majmu was slow away by a number of lengths, but he did encounter quite a rough run home which gave Entistaar’s win the kind of merit that promises more wins to follow.

Assistant trainer Mathew de Kock commented: “Entisaar was boxed in halfway through the race, she wanted to take a narrow gap between runners and couldn’t get through, but she persisted, came again and reeled in a strong pacemaker to win well.”

He added: “Entisaar was showing us her mettle at home, but we didn’t have a two-year-old winner to get a line on, she was our first this term and we’re impressed. She will improve a lot and enjoy it a bit further too.”

Mathew said that Entisaar is likely to be prepared for the Gr3 Pretty Polly Stakes over 1100m at Turffontein on 28 March and that she could go for the Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery at the same venue a month later.

Entisaar is by More Than Ready; she’s a first foal produced by four-time winner Purrpurrlena, by Catbird. Entisaar was a $300,000 purchase for Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Shadwell Australasia at the 2014 Inglis Easter Sale.