The Woodhill Racing Team enjoy their successful raiding missions to the Eastern Cape. And their eight hour road trip from their beautiful Paarl base to Gqeberha up the scenic Garden Route paid dividends again this past weekend
With three winners, including Red William on Friday, and a double at Fairview on Sunday courtesy of Blackberry Malt and the classy mare Flower Of Saigon, who won the non black-type R150 000 Betway Wedgewood Handicap, it was a trip worth making.
Their 7yo Jonsson Workwear Algoa Cup defending champion Han Solo was also not disgraced, flying up late in the headliner for second behind Snaith’s Future Swing, while stablemate Lord William rounded off the quartet.
And there’s no doubt that the trojan 6yo Flower Ally Flower Of Saigon has a penchant for the Fairview track.
Flower Of Saigon finishes strongly under Raymond Danielson to beat Double Check (Van Niekerk) in the support feature (Pic – Pauline Herman)
Despite a slipped saddle in mid race, she was confidently ridden from near-last by Winning Form jockey Raymond Danielson to score a popular victory in the 2400m support feature on the Sunday programme.
Carrying top weight of 62kgs, Flower Of Saigon (18-10) powered home to beat fellow Cape raider Double Check (4-1) by a length in a time of 149,95 secs.
Dame Of Flames (6-1) stayed on for third, a further 1,50 lengths back.
The long-time pacemaker Wildest Dreams was under pressure at the 350m marker and fell away to run out of the money and some seven lengths back.
Bred by owners’ Martin Wickens and Gisela Burg’s Wickensburg Stud, the winner is a daughter of Travers Stakes winner Flower Alley, sire of, among others, South Africa’s reigning Horse Of The Year Princess Calla.
Flower Of Saigon is out of the Captain Al four-time winner Miss Saigon, who was also raced by the same owners.
Flower Of Saigon has now won 5 races with 20 places from 34 starts and stakes of R606 375.
There was a terrific vibe on course and the carryover Pick 6 pool carried the stamp of approval, well exceeding the projected R3 million!
Watch the replay here:
