A traditional last chance-saloon for some paddock-value boosting black-type, the R200 000 Gr3 Final Fling Stakes at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday produced an exciting finish with victory going the way of Greg Ennion’s smart 3yo Love Is A Rose.
It’s the time of the year when some owners are calling it a day on racing careers, and considering second phase career options in the breeding paddocks.
A victory in the aptly named Final Fling has perked many a catalogue page, but Saturday’s winner looks very likely to continue racing on into next season.
Love Is A Rose (Richard Fourie) slips past Young Love (Bernard Fayd’herbe) in an exciting finish (Pic – Wayne Marks)
One of a quartet of 3yo’s in the nine strong line-up, Love Is A Rose benefitted from a typically astute ride by Winning Form-sponsored jockey Richard Fourie, who judged the muddling pace fractions to perfection, just when Bernard Fayd’herbe looked to have outgunned his colleagues on Young Love, who did the donkey work.
Fourie, who was sitting on a rare blank slate for the day up to that point, judged Love Is A Rose’ effort to perfection as the gutsy filly got up at 4-1 to nab the game Young Love (8-1) in the last two strides to win by 0,40 lengths in a time of 134,71 secs for the 1950m on the winter course.
The Snaith’s Legislate mare Veronica Mars (4-1) ran on best of the rest, to gain third.
Raced by Etienne Braun, John Lamb and Wayne Mealing, Love Is A Rose was bred by Willempie Emngelbrecht Jnr and is a daughter of Varsfontein’s Jet Master stallion Master Of My Fate out of the four-time winning Silvano mare, Amarillo Rose.
She has won 4 races with 6 places from 16 starts for stakes of R358 775.
Enjoy the replay:
