It will be good news for South African racing fans that, despite a number of offers from abroad, Gerald and Karen Kalil’s multiple champion Quid Pro Quo will continue her 3yo season on African soil.
The Equus champion daughter of Lance was crowned KZN Horse Of The Season in Durban on Friday, and is currently enjoying a well deserved farm break after her busy 2yo campaign where she started seven times for five wins and two places.
Lance’s daughter Quid Pro Quo makes history in her final start as a 2yo (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
She won two Gr1’s and earned close on R1 769 000.
Quid Pro Quo’s breathtaking victory, with the odds stacked against her in the R1 million Gr1 Douglas Whyte Stakes on World Pool Gold Cup day, saw her enter the SA racing history books by becoming the first filly to win all of the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship over 1200m, the Gr2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper over 1400m, culminating in the Gr1 mile, where she ran without front shoes after spreading a plate on the way to the start.
Quid Pro Quo power pair! Gerald and Karen Kalil (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Speaking to the Sporting Post on Saturday morning, owner-breeder Gerald Kalil said that Quid Pro Quo would likely commence her 3yo campaign at Turffontein in November.
“As much as we’d like to, we don’t believe the Cape is a viable option at this stage, given the various logistical challenges, so we will ease her in by focusing on the Highveld feature season, ahead of the SA Champions Season. We are looking at possibly the first two legs of the SA Triple Tiara,” added Gerald Kalil.
When taxed on whether he felt his star was geared to go beyond a mile, he cited the Douglas Whyte Stakes victory as a pointer that she had ‘something in the tank’.
“Nothing went right for her there – from the shoes, to the change of tactics and the rest, yet she won full of running. Naturally the 2450m of the third leg of the Triple Tiara would be considered only against the background of her progress at that point and the standard of the opposition she’d face. But we will let the road unfold and enjoy this wonderful journey. I know our trainer Barend Botes will always do what is best for Quid Pro Quo,” said the proud man who offered the extraordinary filly at the 2023 KZN Yearling Sale and bought her back due to a lack of interest for just R60 000.
A daughter of the Heuningsfontein-based Jet Master stallion Lance, whom we believe has had a number of bookings at his R5 000 service fee since his daughter started burning up the tracks, Quid Pro Quo is out of the five-time winning daughter of The Sheik, Delightful Diva.
