Lanner Falcon (Grant Van Niekerk) streaks clear to beat her stablemate Pure Power (Robert Khathi) in the Champagne Stakes (Pic:Wayne Marks)
Mike Bass maintained his purple patch of feature form when the Trippi filly Lanner Falcon pulverised her opposition to score a smart win in the R250 000 Gr3 Champagne Stakes on a gloriously sunny Cape winter’s Saturday afternoon at Kenilworth. Her stablemate Pure Power impressed on her farewell performance, running a nice second.
Enjoying a good run, the Milnerton-based Bass also trained Supreme Sunset to win the Listed East Cape Paddock Stakes at Fairview on Friday.
The yard completed a double on Saturday when First Of May won the last. Bass thus saddled a total of six winners in a week, which started with Come Fly With Me’s Pinnacle Stakes victory at Greyville on Mercury Sprint day, last Saturday.
The Drakenstein owned and bred Lanner Falcon is a smart galloper and appears to be coming into her own. She has won from 1000m to 1600m, is Gr1 placed, and boasts a healthy mix of ability and temperament, that will ensure that she remains very competitive in the summer.
It thus makes plenty of sense to keep her in training for another year and she has earned a rest after her Ladies Mile – Champagne Stakes feature double.
She was ridden again by Bass stable jockey Grant Van Niekerk.
She went off at 8-10 in a field of ten, that also hosted the 2014 Champagne Stakes winner Priceless Jewel, who was returning from a six month break and easy to back at 6’s. The daughter of Ashaawes was never in the hunt and obviously needed the run – eventually running a 3,25 length fourth.
Grant Van Niekerk – rode the Bass double
The classy Jet Supreme, with Andrew Fortune in the irons, blew in the betting and jumped at 10 to 1. After cruising up at the 500m marker down the outside,she tired late going into the final 200m and was passed by the Bass duo, who went on to dominate the race.
The Which Doctor and Hot Affair showed some good speed early, but both were to fall away and run shocking races – finishing 17,75 and 33 lengths off respectively.
In the end, Lanner Falcon came onto the scene at the right time with her typical late dash to win going away by 2 lengths in a time of 76,64 secs.
Pure Power and Jet Supreme chased her home but were no match on the day.
Lanner Falcon has now won 7 races with 9 places from 25 starts and took her earnings to R955 425.
The Drakenstein bred Lanner Falcon is a daughter of Trippi, out of the USA bred French Deputy mare, Hosta. This is a Gr1 winning family.
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Gr3 Champagne Stakes (SAf-Gr3)
Kenilworth, South Africa, July 25, R250k, 1200m, turf, heavy, 1.16.64
1 – LANNER FALCON (SAF), 59.0, ch f 4, Trippi (USA) – Hosta (USA) by French Deputy (USA). Owner Drakenstein Stud (Nom: Mrs G A Rupert); Breeder Drakenstein Stud; trainer MW Bass; jockey G v Niekerk
2 – Pure Power (SAF), 59.0, b f 4, Captain Al (SAF) – Just Assembly (SAF) by National Assembly (CAN)
3 – Jet Supreme (SAF), 60.0, b m 5, Jet Master (SAF) – Solea (NZ) by Zabeel (NZ)
Margins: 2.00, 0.50, 0.75
