Just three weeks after dead-heating in the Listed Ruffian Stakes at the same venue, Wylie Hall’s stakes icebreaker Twilight Moon and the undefeated Aussie import Frosted Gold bumped heads again in the R200 000 Gr3 Protea Stakes.
On a day for bargain buys and young sires, Twilight Moon confirmed that his last show was no flash in the pan. And this time there were no questions or photographs as the R20 000 sale graduate asserted his superiority on a kilo worse terms than on their previous clash, when he got the better of the De Kock grey Frosted Gold to score a fluent win by 1,25 lengths in a time of 64,18 secs.
Denis Schwarz steers Twilight Moon to an easy win (Pic – JC Photos)
Green Laser is obviously looking for ground and he came on late for a well beaten third 3,70 lengths back.
The exciting Sean Tarry filly Cavivar was her own worst enemy at the gates and she finished 7,25 lengths back and out of the money.
The Daytona Stud bred Twilight Moon’s win was a first stakes success for Cheveley Stud’s well performed young Redoute’s Choice stallion Wylie Hall when he won three weeks back and he gave apprentice Denis Schwarz another opportunity on Saturday to boost his CV.
Trained by Paul Matchett, Twilight Moon is out of the three-time winning Qui Danzig mare, Twilight. He was bought for R20 000 off the KZN Yearling Sale.
He has run three times for two wins and a place and took his stakes to R208 875.
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Gr3 Protea Stakes (SAf-Gr3)
Turffontein, South Africa, March 30, R200k, 1100m, turf, good, 1.04.18
1 – TWILIGHT MOON (SAF), 58.0, b c 2, Wylie Hall (AUS) – Vanilla Twilight (SAF) by Qui Danzig (USA). Owner Mr R S Wentzel & Mrs R E Waterman-Wentzel; Breeder Daytona Stud; trainer PF Matchett; jockey D Schwarz
2 – Frosted Gold (NZ), 60.0, gr c 2, All Too Hard (AUS) – Mary D’or (FR) by Verglas (IRE)
3 – Green Laser (SAF), 58.0, b c 2, Gimmethegreenlight (AUS) – Dance Domain (SAF) by Parade Leader (USA)
Margins: 1.25, 3.70, 0.10
