Just 24 hours after booting home a Grade 2 feature winner to cap a three-timer at Turffontein, the fast ascending star of South Africa’s only female jockey Rachel Venniker continued to shine bright as she rode a peach of a race to win the R120 000 non black-type Beach Beauty Mile at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday on the Barend Botes charge, Care Forgot.
The victory was a cracking farewell to KZN racing for Summerveld trainer Barend Botes who is set to return ‘home’ to Turffontein, to better service his Highveld owners.
Rachel Venniker drives Care Forgot to victory as Serino Moodley and Destiny Of Fire chase hard. Third-placed She’s A Machine (Sean Veale) is not disgraced further back (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The 3yo fillies contest headlined the nine-race KZN programme on the turf and after the disappointing withdrawal of the exciting Spirit Of Levana on Saturday due to an abnormal blood count, the field was further reduced by the scratching, as a result of injury at the start, of the Paul Lafferty-trained The Ghost.
Princess Palace took the six-strong field along on a Sunday afternoon walk from the mile marker and the race turned into a sprint for home, with Serino Moodley riding a confident race on the 9-4 Mike de Kock debut winner Destiny Of Fire.
Into the final stages Destiny Of Fire looked to be asserting her class, but race experience and the skills of Miss Venniker came into play, as Care Forgot (tote favourite at 33-10) got up on the line to clock 100,65 secs for the 1600m.
Stuart Ferrie’s She’s A Machine (5-1) flashed her beautiful white face late and looked to challenge, only going down just over a length further back in third.
Rachel Venniker said that Care Forgot ‘dug deep’.
“We got our timing right. She ran a great race. It’s fantastic to ride a winner for Mr Botes and owner Mr Michael,” she added modestly.
Serino Moodley, who rode the runner-up, said that the muddled pace had created havoc and that he had made his move possibly earlier than he should have.
A R300 000 BSA August 2yo Sale graduate, Care Forgot was bred by Moutonshoek and is a daughter of the Piketberg farm’s Galileo kingpin The United States out of the unraced Irish-bred Hawk Wing mare Love Unlimited.
Care Forgot has now won 3 of her 7 starts with 2 places and stakes of R272 625.
- The next KZN racemeeting is at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Wednesday 9 October – start time 12h35.
The feature is named in honour of a SA champion of the turf- Michele Wing’s tribute can be watched here:
