Visiting Cape ace Richard Fourie produced a peach of a ride to deliver the favourite Aragosta at the right moment to nab free-striding stablemate Clafoutis in the last stride and give Mike de Kock an exacta in Saturday’s Gr3 Sea Cottage Stakes at Turffontein.
Only eight 3yo’s lined up in the R250 000 Highveld classic season curtain raiser, and with Aragosta’s victpry over the 1800m at his penultimate jump, and a smart third behind Safe Passage in the Dingaans at his last start, he looked a worthy favourite and duly delivered the bacon at evens, albeit in a heartstopping final swoop.
After the two fillies Shing Armour and Clafoutis has cut the fractions early on, it was the latter who looked a winner late as she stayed on strongly in the final stages of the long home straight.
But Fourie is a master and he timed his effort to perfection, producing Aragosta from some lengths off in the 1800m contest to win going away by a quarter length in a time of 111,60 secs.
Clafoutis (6-1) was full merit for a gutsy effort in second, while Hollywood Syndicate’s Platinum Sky (9-2) stayed on a further two lengths back in third, and may be looking for further.
A R220 000 National Yearling Sale graduate, Aragosta made it 3 wins with 1 place from his 5 starts for stakes of R286 385.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein, Aragosta scored another milestone for Rafeef, SA’s leading first season sire of 2020/21.
Rafeef registered his first graded stakes success when William Robertson won the Gr3 Tony Ruffel Stakes over 1400m on New Year’s Day.
The blue blooded Ridgemont Highlands champion, a full-brother to Equus Champion and Gr1 SA Nursery winner Mustaaqeem, is one of more than 170 stakes winners sired by multiple champion Australian sire Redoute’s Choice, and he is out of former South African Horse Of The Year National Colour.
Aragosta is out of the Galileo mare Miss Galidora, who was placed over 2000m at 3 in the UK in 2 starts. She is a half sister to French Guineas winner Clodovil. She throws stamina into the mix!
OFFICIAL RESULT:
TRAINER JOCKEY DISTANCE BETTING
1 ST 1 ARAGOSTA M F de Kock R Fourie —– 77/100
2 ND 7 CLAFOUTIS M F de Kock K de Melo 0,25 0,25 6/1
3 RD 4 PLATINUM SKY S G Tarry G Lerena 2,00 2,25 9/2
4 TH 2 CASTLETOWN S T Pettigrew K Matsunyane 3,60 5,85 10/1
5 TH 3 NOBLE STRIKER C Spies R Munger 1,40 7,25 33/1
TIME OF RACE: 111.60 s
Tote Favourite 1 ARAGOSTA M F de Kock R Fourie —– 77/100