The Summerveld raiding combination of Dennis Drier and Sean Veale opened their 2018/19 Cape summer campaign in style with the Ridgemont bred Anime providing them with a double in the R150 000 Listed Laisserfaire Stakes at Kenilworth on Sunday.
The high-class subsequent Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint victress Sommerlied had done the honours for the Durban visitors in 2017, when Sunday’s gutsy winner Anime had run a close-up fourth.
With the flying Freedom Charter obscured down the inside, Sean Veale drives Anime to victory as Richard Fourie and Casual Diamond stay on third in the yellow silks (Pic – Chase Liebenberg Photography)
With the underrated Veale in a determined frame, Anime took the fight to the locals on the sunny Sunday and went all the way to register a deserved first stakes win in the famous silks of the Badge Boys.
The daughter of Count Dubois showed her customary speed and held off all challengers to win by 0,30 lengths in a time of 65,27 secs from Olympic Duel Stakes winner Freedom Charter and the 2017 runner-up and favourite, Casual Jewel.
The top trio finished with 0,35 lengths of each other, with longshot Sequined giving the quartet some momentum when running 1,25 lengths back in fourth.
The top-class Magical Wonderland was always labouring and finished over 5 lengths back downfield.
Icebreaker! Denis Drier and Sean Veale enjoy the moment (Pic – Chase Liebenberg Photography)
Anime has won 3 races with 12 places from 19 starts for stakes of R378 425.
Bred by Ridgemont, she is by Count Dubois (Zafonic) out of four-time winner Rei Rei. The latter is a daughter of Doowaley, who interestingly was trained for the same owners by Sunday’s on-course presenter, Stan Elley.
