Hollywoodbets-sponsored trainer Candice Dawson and KZN-based jockey Keagan de Melo teamed up with the Vercingetorix mare Gallic Princess who enjoyed the give in the ground to register a career first stakes success at Turffontein on Tuesday evening.
After an electric storm delayed matters at the racemeeting postponed from Saturday, the rains came and conditions suited some and not others in the line-up of the R250 000 WSB Live Blackjack Gr3 Tommy Hotspur Stakes contested over the straight 1000m.
After learning from some bad luck at a slow start to the Lebelo Sprint at her last start, Keagan de Melo rode a patient race as he allowed Gallic Princess to bowl along in midfield as Kings Road and the snow white Anna Capri led the charge down the middle inside.
Keagan de Melo gears down on Gallic Princess in an easy win (Pic – JC Photos)
At the 300m, Gallic Princess (8-1) was switched in and she went clear to win unextended by 2,25 lengths under a soft ride in a time of 56,42 secs.
It was a first win for the smart mare in some time – her last victory being posted at Hollywoodbets Greyville in July 2020, when she scored in the non black-type Compendium Insurance Brokers eThekwini Sprint.
Winter Stories (8-1) maintained form and ran on into second ahead of the fast finishing Sweet Future (5-1) who edged out the gallant Anna Capri for fourth.
The favourite Master Archie never threatened and finished in sixth and just out of the money.
Bred by The Alchemy, the winner is a daughter of Vercingetorix (Silvano) out of the Jallad mare Julliard.
A R70 000 National Yearling Sale graduate, Gallic Princess has won 6 races with 11 places from 24 starts for stakes of R656 375.
The race is named in honour of the champion ten time winning speed merchant Tommy Hotspur, who won the 1997 Gr1 Computaform Stakes, covering the Gosforth Park 1000 m in a record 56,37 seconds.
After the transfer of the meeting from Saturday, it was heartening to see the R1 million Pick 6 carryover pool reach the R5 million target and go beyond, with R5 394 175 in the bank.
OFFICIAL RESULT:
TRAINER JOCKEY DISTANCE BETTING
1 ST 7 GALLIC PRINCESS C Dawson K de Melo —– 7/1
2 ND 3 WINTER STORIES P A Peter W Kennedy 2,25 2,25 8/1
3 RD 9 SWEET FUTURE M/A Azzie G van Niekerk 0,05 2,30 5/1
4 TH 8 ANNA CAPRI D Nieuwenhuizen S Khumalo 0,05 2,35 8/1
5 TH 11 KWITE A TRIP P A Peter M Yeni 0,30 2,65 20/1
TIME OF RACE: 56.42 s
Tote Favourite 5 MASTER ARCHIE P A Peter G Lerena 2,95 2/1
