Gr3 Pretty Polly Stakes – Sheztheclubqueen

Pretty Polly Stakes - Sheztheclubqueen

The Pretty Polly Stakes for two-year-old fillies over 1100m produced a surprise result when 25/1 chance Sheztheclubqueen – unplaced in her two previous starts – quickened the best on the soft ground to land the spoils. Sheztheclubqueen hadn’t run badly when 3.5 lengths fifth behind Variometer in a Listed event over 1000m three weeks earlier and was now fitted with blinkers for the first time, but even a 2 kgs swing in the weights seemed to leave her with a bit to find against Variometer. The latter went off as a joint 33/10 second favourite with Extraordinaire, but it was Solarium who started as the 5/2 favourite after she was badly hampered early before finishing sixth behind Variometer last time out.

Verbatim set a fast pace from the jump, with La Volta and Variometer not far away as Solarium raced a couple of lengths off the action. Extraordinaire was handy wider out, but eventually did her chances no good whatsoever by drifting markedly right inside the last 300m and hampering Kinematic Countess when the latter was starting to make good headway from well off the pace. Verbatin weakened inside the last 200m, leaving the race wide open, but Sheztheclubqueen quickened very well under Glen Hatt and went on to win by three-quarters of a length from Solarium, who stayed on well but who was outpaced by the winner’s turn of foot in the final stages.

Maggie Thatch stayed on to finish third, a length behind the runner-up and a head in front of her somewhat errant stable companion Extraordinaire, but Variometer was in trouble a long way from home and weakened to finish last. She may well have not enjoyed the soft going, having won her two previous races on much faster ground, and she never showed her usual dash on this occasion.

The winner is a daughter of the somewhat undistinguished Mr Greeley stallion Fan Club’s Mister, although in his defence the Gr2 American Derby winner has not been blessed with the greatest of support in his stud career to date. Sheztheclubqueen is the second foal and second winner of Damascus Gate mare Gateway, who won four races over 1000/1200m. She was consigned by her owner and trainer Terry Lowe to the 2010 Ready To Run Sale, but slipped under the radar and Lowe was able to buy her back for the floor price of R10 000. She has now collected R105 500 in stakes, she’s a Graded Stakes winner whatever happens, and she is eligible for the very valuable Ready To Run Cup next season. Not a bad return for a horse nobody wanted.

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Pretty Polly S. (SAf-G3) (3/26)