Million Dollar Babe! Cherry On The Top wins the Gr2 SA Oaks
The magnificent Tiger Ridge filly Cherry On The Top lived up to her name and sheer brilliance when clinching the Wilgerbosdrift SA Triple Tiara in magnificent style at Turffontein on Saturday. The daughter of Tiger Ridge simply toyed with her opposition to win the R750 000 Gr2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks run over 2450m.
The Champions Day bumper drawcard and star attraction worked a charm for Phumelela, who would have paid the R1 million bonus with a smile after a terrific team effort that started close on seventy years ago when the Oppenheimers moved to Mauritzfontein.
The family that won their first July of six in 1959 with a horse called Tiger Fish, and their first Gold Cup in 1977 when Pacer deadheated with the Kannemeyer trained Don The Stripe, had plenty to celebrate on a special day for them and South African horseracing at large.
With no pace on Moikavano led from Rue De Rivoli with Secret Obsession further back and Cherry On The Top relaxed about five lengths back in fourth.
When they turned for home it was patently obvious that the ‘Tiger’ was all over them and Juglall could wait no more as he pressed the go button.
In a matter of strides the lovely specimen took control and she ran on supremely well at prohibitive odds on to beat Geoff Woodruff’s game galloper Do You Remember by 1,25 lengths in a time of 157,43 secs.
The crowds roared in approval as the champion strode clear to win easily.
And spare a thought for Do You Remember. If anybody will remember her at all, that is!
Cherry On The Top has now won all three legs of the Triple Tiara at her expense.
She beat her in the Gr2 R500 000 Wilgerbosdrift Fillies Guineas run over 1600m at Turffontein on Saturday 2 March.
She then went on to score a resounding victory with the same filly trailing in her wake in the Gr1 R1-million Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic run over 1800m at Turffontein on Saturday 30 March.
She put the cream on top with her stunning win in Saturday’s race. Over the very same Do You Remember.
The Triple Tiara is the ultimate test for a filly and carries a R1-million bonus for winning all three legs. Igugu (2011) is the only filly to have won the Triple Tiara since its inception in 1999.
Winning owner Mrs Bridget Oppenheimer quipped that her star filly had ‘looked beautiful.’
Young Mauritian jockey Nooresh Juglall must have had the Indian Ocean Island rocking on Saturday evening and thanked his mentor: “ From day one Mr Ferraris was confident. He has given me such good advice and all the effort has paid off,” he said.
Veteran trainer Ormond Ferraris said that he was ‘very pleased’ for Mrs O and Tiger Ridge.
“I drummed it into Nooresh (Juglall) not to hit the front too early. But it all worked out well and this is also my tenth Oaks winner. It is a very happy moment for me,” he said.
Cherry On The Top was registering her eighth win from 11 starts for two places and stakes of R1 829 675. And that’s not including the R1 million Triple Tiara bonus.
In a true family affair, Cherry On The Top was bred by Mauritzfontein and is by Tiger Ridge out of the 5 time winning Oaks winner, the Fort Wood mare Carolina Cherry.
Tiger Ridge thus became the first SA based stallion to sire a Triple Tiara winner.
