Scottsville will host the debut appearance of South African speed champion Val De Ra’s exciting first foal on Sunday.
Val De Ra in the Avontuur silks
The plain bay filly is cast in the non-flashy mould of her internationally rated sire Oasis Dream and has been the talk of the SA racing world for some time.
A match made in heaven! This was the sentiment when leading Cape breeders Avontuur took the plunge and sent their home-bred speed sensation Val De Ra overseas to Green Desert’s brilliant speed son.
Former champion sprinter Oasis Dream, a three parts brother to champion Kingman, is the sire of over 100 stakes winners, including 15 Gr1 winners, who have won 25 G1 contests.
His top runners include champions Midday and Muhaarar, with Oasis Dream’s sire sons including such promising producers as Querari, Power and Showcasing.
Source of speed – Oasis Dream
In a phenomenal racing career spanning four years, Val De Ra raised the pulses and won 11 of her 13 starts, including four Gr1’s: the 2011 Computaform Sprint, the SA Fillies Sprint (twice in consecutive years 2010 and 2011) and the Cape Flying Championships.
Crowned Equus Champion Sprinter for the 2010-11 season, the lightning fast daughter of Avontuur superstar Var is out of the Elliodor mare, Minelli.
Val De Ra’s greatest moment arguably came when she beat present day Drakenstein sire What A Winter in the 2012 Cape Flying Championship.
Dream De Ra makes her much anticipated debut just weeks after her year younger half-sister by Frankel – also trained by Drier – made her opener at Kenilworth.
After months of hype and anticipation, the flashy chestnut Miss Frankel showed pace but faded late to run unplaced – obviously overwhelmed by the attention and the reality of the hustle and bustle of the race.
The now 3yo Dream De Ra makes a delayed first racecourse appearance after being given time off following a self-inflicted injury.
Get your Scottsville Racecard here
Her trainer Dennis Drier told the Sporting Post on Wednesday that she is ‘a lovely filly who may just need the run.’
She steps out in the Scottsville second race, a 1200m maiden plate for fillies and mares – off time is 13h40 – and will be ridden by Drier stable jockey Sean Veale.
We hear that there were a good few senior jockeys keen to ride her!
