In The Bag! Along Came Polly (Brandon Lerena) wins the Gr1 Thekwini Stakes
Varsfontein Stud stallion Judpot continued his unparalleled success as a first season sire sensation when his top class daughter Along Came Polly stormed home to win the R600 000 Gr1 Thekwini Stakes run over a mile at Greyville on Saturday.
Varsfontein’s Carl De Vos has seen some brilliant stallions in his many years at the beautiful farm in Agter Paarl, but few have set the record books alight at Gr1 level to the extent that Judpot has so early in his career.
The records suggest that he has the best Gr1 record of a first season sire in over fifty years of searching the stats.
The story of this lovely 2yo filly, prepared to the minute by the astute Gavin Van Zyl, is the stuff that racing marketing dreams are made of.
Bought for just R60 000, and having already earned a 1000 percent return on investment for enthusiastic owner Brian Burnard, she put the cherry on the top of her three feature race seconds with a great win under a thrilled Brandon Lerena on Saturday.
Piere Strydom took the pacy Tiger Quest up to lead from the enthusiastic Along Came Polly and the fancied Alascan Maiden.
Into the home run Tiger Quest continued to fire as Alascan Maiden cut to the inside.
S’manga Khumalo also switched For The Lads in late to the inside for a clear run and she came home strongly as Lerena set Along Came Polly alight down the middle.
In a thrilling finish, Along Came Polly won by 1.75 lengths in a time of 97,51 seconds.
The Gr1 Golden Slipper winner For The Lads ran on for second, just shading the Paul Lafferty trained Admiral’s Eye who stayed on well into third, and in so doing making a statement for her sire, Admire Main.
The rest were beaten fairly and squarely with the 28 to 10 favourite Alascan Maiden running into fourth.
Along Came Polly is by Judpot out of the one time winning Model Man mare, Perfect Polly.
She was bred by Varsfontein Stud and cost just R60 000 on the National Yearling Sale. What a bargain!
Along Came Polly shed her maiden here in the most sensational manner any owner could dream of.
She has registered three second places, all at feature level, from her four starts and took her stake earnings to R639 000.
