Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Surprise win for Waywest Goddess

David Thiselton
The racemeeting scheduled for Turffontein yesterday (Saturday) was moved to the Vaal after a deluge last week left the former course unraceable.
The progeny of first season Summerhill stallion Way West had drawn favourable comments at the Ready To Run gallops last November and one of them, the Louis Goosen-trained Waywest Goddess, became the Highveld’s first two-year-old stakes winner of the season. She led from the off under Deon Sampson in the Listed Ruffian Stakes over 1 000m and scooted clear in the closing stages.
The R65 000 purchase caused a major 55-1 shock as she had finished unplaced seven lengths behind another Ruffian Stakes contender, Giggs, in her only previoius start, a maiden juvenile plate over 1 200m. In her defence she did show early pace in that first outing and also received 3kg from the previous winners yesterday. The favourite, the Mike de Kock-trained Empire Rose, was 4,25 lengths back in second with Giggs next best. Waywest Goddess is owned by CM Comaroff and Corryvrecken Racing CC and was bred by Hallmark Thoroughbreds. The local progeny of imported Wilgebosdrift Stallion, Tiger Ridge, were always eagerly anticipated due to his blue blood, being by Storm Cat out of the top Secretariat racemare and broodmare, Weekend Surprise, who is the dam of among others, AP Indy. The Mike de Kock-trained colt Burmese Cat became his first local stakes winner when winning the Listed Storm Bird Stakes for two-year-olds over 1 000m by 0,75 lengths under Johnny Geroudis from the Mike Azzie-trained first-timer by National Assembly, Legislature. De Kock also claimed third prize with the Fort Wood maiden, Zamizar. Burmese Cat is owned by the Tiger Ridge Syndicate and was bred by Highflyer Stud. In the Listed Bauhinia Handicap for fillies and mares over 1 000m the in form Dianne Stenger yard claimed victory with the three-year-old Var filly, Esterel, who was brought home by Francois Naude. She just got the better of the Dennis Bosch-trained topweight, Noble Heir, who has been in scintillating form and could be a candidate for the forthcoming Grade 1 Computaform Sprint. The favourite, the Paul Matchett-trained Mary Lou, finished third. This was second season sire Var’s first three-year-old stakes winner. Esterel is owned by Peter White and was bred by Varsfontein Stud. Earlier in the Egoli Three-Year-Old mile, a merit rated handicap over 1 600m, the Tyrone Zackey-trained Smanjemanje skated home with topweight to frank the form of the country’s top rated three-year-old, the Gary Alexander-trained Piere Jourdan. This son of Kahal is, like Piere Jourdan, bred by Summerhill and had finished 15 lengths behind the latter in the Gauteng Guineas. Yesterday S’mango Khumalo picked the big bay up about 500m from home and he made up ground slowly but surely before hitting top gear and powering clear to win easing up by 3,75 lengths from Red Dancer and Houston Trip. At Fairview on Friday the Cape Town-based Servila shook off her frustrating sequence of narrow stakes race defeats by winning the Listed Ladys Pendant over 1 200m to finally earn the valuable bold black type she had been chasing.The four-year-old Darry Hodgson-trained daughter of Caesour started 16-10 favourite and won by half a length. She was bred by Varsfontein Stud and is owned by Hassen Adams.

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