Mike de Kock and Anton Marcus enjoyed a profitable Champions Day at Turffontein on Saturday and their run commenced with a courageous victory by the New Zealand bred Frosted Gold in the R750 000 Gr2 SA Nursery.
Anton Marcus drives Frosted Gold to victory (Pic – JC Photos)
The good looking grey showed plenty of early speed behind his stablemate Battleoftrafalgar and his Protea Stakes conqueror Twilight Moon, from his inside draw.
At the 250m marker, Marcus buckled down and Frosted Gold went on too strongly to beat the obviously smart Twilight Moon by 1,50 lengths in a time of 67,26 secs.
The winner’s stablemate Battleoftrafalgar ran a terrific race and showed plenty of pace to finish an excellent third under two lengths off the winner. He should be well nigh impossible to back in the maiden ranks next time – unless the stable decide to take their chances at Scottsville later this month.
A winner of 3 races with 1 place from 4 starts, Frosted Gold took his earnings to R642 500. He was purchased by Form Bloodstock off the Blandford Lodge draft at the 2018 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale for A$180 000.
He is by Vinery Stud’s All Too Hard, the Champion Three-Year-Old Colt in Australia in 2012/13 and a half-brother to Australia’s famous galloper Black Caviar. Frosted Gold is out of the Verglas mare Mary Dór – a winner in France and a full sister to Gr1 performer, Stormy River.
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Gr2 SA Nursery (SAf-Gr2)
Turffontein, South Africa, May 4, R750k, 1160m, turf, good, 1.07.26
1 – FROSTED GOLD (NZ), 60.0, gr c 2, All Too Hard (AUS) – Mary D’or (FR) by Verglas (IRE). Owner Mr D D MacLean; Breeder bred in New Zealand; trainer MF de Kock; jockey A Marcus
2 – Twilight Moon (SAF), 60.0, b c 2, Wylie Hall (AUS) – Vanilla Twilight (SAF) by Qui Danzig (USA)
3 – Battleoftrafalgar (SAF), 60.0, b c 2, Captain Al (SAF) – Gibraltar Blue (IRE) by Rock Of Gibraltar (IRE)
Margins: 1.50, 0.25, 0.75
