Relaxed! Beach Beauty (Sean Cormack) strides clear to win the R1 million Gr1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes
The brilliant Dynasty mare Beach Beauty overwhelmed her opposition to win the R1 million Gr1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes in scintillating style at Kenilworth on Saturday.
Sponsored for the first time by leading Cape breeders Maine Chance Farms, this prestigious weight-for-age race attracted a top-class field of fifteen females and produced a spectacle out of the top drawer.
After her Calulo Services Premier Trophy win, where she had slammed her capable male rivals, Beach Beauty had always looked the right horse in this race, and only a bad draw could have scared away her supporters.
The Snaith-trained Alvilda was withdrawn at the start as Mike De Kock’s Viva Maria went off to lead from Thunder Dance and Jet Aglow with Beach Beauty and Dubai Gina tucked up on the rail.
Celebrations! The Shanks Syndicate and winning trainer and jockey enjoy the moment
Through the 1000m Viva Maria continued to lead from Cause To Believe and Thunder Dance with Beach Beauty creeping marginally closer.
Into the long home straight, Delpech pinched three lengths as Viva Maria lengthened nicely. But the excitement of a De Kock win was quickly washed away as Sean Cormack drifted Beach Beauty out and crouched low in the saddle for the journey home.
In a matter of strides the daughter of Dynasty had taken control and she strode clear to win beautifully. What a Met trial!
Beach Beauty won at 16-10 by 3,75 lengths in a time of 109,7 secs.
Glen Kotzen’s 3yo Jet Aglow confirmed her promise by charging through late for second ahead of a tiring Viva Maria, while another Kotzen filly in the solid citizen Beloved Betty ran on well for fourth place.
Trainer Dennis Drier said that a decision on Beach Beauty’s ‘main goal’, the J&B Met, would be made after an assessment as to how she pulls up after this race.
Winning jockey Sean Cormack, who is enjoying one of the very best seasons of his career, said afterwards that it was never easy from a wide draw. Cormack said that the smart mare had natural gate speed and that the pace was on from the jump.
Cormack labelled the slightly built Beach Beauty ‘one of the best of her size.’
Dennis Drier. Trains Beach Beauty .
It was a memorable day for Cormack, as he and wife Chantal (a former Cape-based jockey) celebrated their wedding anniversary.
Beach Beauty’s groom George , threw the branding and marketing experts a curved ball as he looked resplendent in a bright red Vodacom t -shirt on the stage. It’s probably called freedom of expression!
The story of how Beach Beauty’s ownership, the Shanks Syndicate, came to being also makes for heartwarming reading.
Back in the early 1990’s John Bescoby had spare tickets for a race meeting.
He offered them to his staff. At the particular race day, a young lady named Ruth met Trevor Armitage’s son. They courted and married and had three daughters named Kate, Hannah and Juliette.
Sadly Trevor’s son died and friends got together to form a syndicate in honour of his memory.
In his varsity days the young man’s nick name was shanks (apparently after the sanitary ware Armitage Shanks).
Beach Beauty, named by his daughter Kate, is the syndicate’s first horse. The silks are based on the colouring of his favourite bird, the narina trogon.
Bred by Trevor Armitage Beach Beauty is by Dynasty out of the three-time winning Capture Him mare, Sun Coast.
Beach Beauty has run 19 times for 10 wins and 6 places.
We have already observed that this was her well-deserved first Gr1 and added to her impressive haul of four Gr2’s and one Gr3.
The Shanks Syndicate can get set for the Met – or the Majorca Stakes! Either way it looks like there is a cheque in the post.
Result:
Paddock S. (SAf-G1) (1/12)
Kenilworth, South Africa, January 12, R1 million, 1800m, turf, good,
1.49.76.
BEACH BEAUTY (SAF), 60.0, b m 5, Dynasty (SAF) – Sun Coast (SAF) by Capture
Him (USA). Owner Shanks Syndicate; breeder T Armitage (SAF); trainer DR
Drier; jockey S Cormack (R625.000)
Jet Aglow (SAF), 54.0, b f 3, Jet Master (SAF) – Lighthouse Girl (SAF) by
Argosy (USA).
Viva Maria (SAF), 59.5, b f 4, Jet Master (SAF) – Bardot (SAF) by Badger
Land (USA)
Margins: 3¾, 1¾, nk
