Mike de Kock and Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum celebrated a super feature double at Turffontein on Saturday with the National Yearling Sale recordbreaking Var filly Ghaalla setting up a Cape Fillies Guineas date when producing a late finish to win the R275 000 Gr3 Fillies Mile.
After Hawwaam’s terrific victory in the Dingaans, his blue and white flag carrying stablemate kept things a lot more exciting.
The rain delayed feature was run under the lights and anybody who stayed to watch would not have been disappointed with the race producing the best finish of the day.
Neglected in the betting and jumping from a wide draw, the Var filly Ghaalla was some way off the gallop set by the Gr1 winning favourite Return Flight.
At the 400m Return Flight came under pressure and the longshot I like It made up ground doggedly down the rail with an upset on the cards. The daughter of Solskjaer ground away under Sherman Brown but Randall Simons had got Ghaalla interested and she started flying.
It was heads up and heads down at the line with Ghaalla getting the verdict by a short head in a time of 98,93 secs.
I Like It ran the race of her life – after winning an Assessment Plate at the Vaal last Tuesday!
The Starling Stakes winner Ronnie’s Candy came flying up late for third.
Mike de Kock reported afterwards that he believes Ghaalla to be a Triple Tiara type filly.
Bought for R5 million by Form Bloodstock for Shadwell SA at the 2017 BSA National Yearling Sale, the price tag of the Varsfontein Stud bred Ghaalla surpassed the previous R4,75 million paid for Savannah Cat in 2015.
She has now won 2 races with 3 places from 7 starts for stakes of R388 213.
The Varsfontein bred daughter of Var (Forest Wildcat) is out of the winning Captain Al mare Fidelity, a three parts sister to Gr3 East Cape Derby winner Captain Splendid and a half-sister to Gr2 winning sire Master Of My Fate, and the four time stakes winner Justthewayyouare.
Her second dam is Equus Champion Promisefrommyheart, whose six career wins included successes in the Gr1 Triple Tiara 1600 and Gr1 SA Fillies Guineas.
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Gr3 Fillies Mile (SAf-Gr3)
Turffontein, South Africa, November 24, R275k, 1600m, turf, good, 1.38.93
1 – GHAALLA (SAF), 57.0, b f 3, Var (USA) – Fidelity (SAF) by Captain Al (SAF). Owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum; Breeder Varsfontein Stud; trainer MF de Kock; jockey R Simons
2 – I Like It (SAF), 57.0, b f 3, Solskjaer (IRE) – Golden National (SAF) by National Emblem (SAF)
3 – Ronnie’s Candy (SAF), 59.0, ch f 3, King Of Kings (SAF) – Bennie Andthe Jets (SAF) by Jet Master (SAF)
Margins: 0.05, 0.80, 1.40
