Randjesfontein trainer Jurgen van Heerden ended a twenty year wait when celebrating the first graded stakes winner of his career courtesy of the Australian-bred Ilitshe, who stayed on best to win the R250 000 Gr3 Caradoc Gold Cup at Turffontein on Saturday.
Ryan Munger steers Ilitshe to a great win for Jurgen van Heerden (Pic – JC Photos)
In the hurly burly of the feature days we probably tend to forget about the smaller yards who come racing and mostly go home empty handed.
For trainer Jurgen van Heerden all the early mornings, frustrations and disappointments fell neatly into perspective after Ryan Munger rode a cracker to get the Mike de Kock retread up late in the final feature of a long Classic Day.
Under sufferance in the ten horse field, the Carefree Syndicate owned Ilitshe was easy to back at 18-1 and relaxed near the rear as Let It Rain and Coby ensured a decent gallop up front over the 2850m.
At the 350m marker Let It Rain was a good few lengths to the good still but Ryan Munger wasn’t panicking and he sent Ilitshe after the leader.
Ryan Munger – cool ride
With a sustained finishing effort, Ilitshe went past Let It Rain to win by 0,70 lengths in a time of 180,84 secs.
The fancied Save The Rhino was in the mix late and stayed on for third ahead of the Silvano filly Zafira.
This was a second stakes win for Ilitshe who took his win tally to 6 with 6 places from his 23 starts for stakes of R510 450.
A son of champion sire Fastnet Rock, he is the sixth winner of the retired Sadler’s Wells mare Reem Albaraari, a daughter of champion sprinter, Habibti.
Ilitshe is a half-brother to dual Gr1 winner Morshdi, the Champion 3yo of Italy and Germany in 2001.
Originally a $15 000 Inglis Premier purchase for Colm Santry Bloodstock from the Erinvale Thoroughbreds draft, he was bought as a Mike de Kock horse-in-training by VCR Properties for R200 000 at the 2014 Michael Holmes Super Sale.
He was bravely given a year off after being purchased and that seems to have done the trick – not that his trainer doesn’t know about patience!
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Gr3 Caradoc Gold Cup (SAf-Gr3)
Turffontein, South Africa, April 1, R250k, 2850m, turf, good, 3.05.26
1 – ILITSHE (AUS), 54.0, b g 6, Fastnet Rock (AUS) – Reem Albaraari (GB) by Sadler’s Wells (USA). Owner The Carefree Syndicate (Nom: Mr J L Van Heerden); Breeder bred in Australia; trainer JL v Heerden; jockey R Munger
2 – Let It Rain (SAF), 54.0, b g 4, Dynasty (SAF) – Gardener’s Delight (USA) by Giant’s Causeway (USA)
3 – Save The Rhino (SAF), 57.0, b g 5, Mogok (USA) – Endangered Species (SAF) by Sapieha (IRE)
Margins: 0.70, 0.60, 1.30
