Mike Stewart’s perpetual motion machine Pretty Betty stepped up to the 1800m at a nippy Kenilworth on Saturday and defied a trainstopping weight turnaround to record a fifth straight victory.
The 3yo went gun-to-tape to win the weight-for-age plus penalties scaled R100 000 Goals And Gallops Gr3 Final Fling Stakes.
Louis Mxothwa steers the game Pretty Betty to a facile win (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Jockey Louis Mxothwa rounded off a hat-trick of winners on the afternoon for three different yards, and took his season win tally to 95 as he edged ever closer to a national top 10 standing.
Mxothwa rode a a superbly judged race as Pretty Betty was never headed and went all the way to beat the slow-starting Rain In Newmarket.
Just as Pretty Betty has consistently delivered for her followers, the frustrating talent Rain In Newmarket banked a fourth consecutive bridesmaid’s cheque – and started a tote favourite as she was expected to turn the tables with a 4kg turnaround at the weights.
Rain In Newmarket was beaten 1,25 lengths in the Listed Ladies Mile last time but failed to take advantage of the weight swing after a dismal start on Saturday.
She had plenty of leeway to make up in the run for home and was always chasing,
Pretty Betty (3-1) registered a time of 119,89 secs and never looked under threat – winning with ears pricked by 3,25 lengths.
A daughter of Varsfontein’s Jet Master stallion Master Of My Fate, Pretty Betty was bred by Peter de Beyer and is out of the one-time winner Betty Burke (Captain Al) – who was also raced by co-owner de Beyer.
Pretty Betty, who was saddled by Dunes assistant Robert Barrett – grandson of co owner Paul – was registering her second consecutive stakes victory and took her impressive cv tally to 5 wins with 2 places from her 8 starts for gross earnings of R218 600.
