Trainer Glen Kotzen received some consolation after agonisingly being on the receiving end of the Lyle Hewitson genius a half hour earlier in the Gr1 Thekwini Stakes, when Good Traveller relished the step up to a mile to win the R400 000 Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes.
Grant van Niekerk has Good Traveller in control as longshot Honokalani (Serino Moodley) runs out of his skin for second (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
After grabbing the honours in the opener, Kotzen’s Kailene was pipped by Rain In Holland in the fairer sex equivalent.
But this time Grant van Niekerk made no mistakes on the highly regarded Good Traveller, who produced a cracking effort from a wide draw.
Settled five lengths off the leader after overcoming his wide draw, Good Traveller received a typically polished ride by Van Niekerk and he came for home with a trouble free passage up the outside.
Van Niekerk balanced Good Traveller (7-1) and after sent him on his way to beat the fast-finishing longshot Honokalani (33-1) by 1,30 lengths in a time of 98,97 secs.
William Robertson (7-1) maintained the cheque earning streak of the Corne Spies runners in third, with fancied Waterberry Lane a head back in fourth.
Bred by Lammerskraal from their Gr1 winning sire Visionaire (Grand Slam), the winner is out of one-time winning Western Winter mare, Skylar Lane
Raced by the staunch Schwegmann family, Good Traveller was a R200 000 buy from the 2020 National Sale and has won 4 races with 1 place from his 6 starts for stakes of R467 500.
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