With the Ashburton-based Neptune’s Rain a popular choice to open the bumper Pick 6 at Greyville on Sunday, the high-riding Cape duo of Glen Kotzen and Richard Fourie had other ideas and produced the goods with Captain Al’s smart daughter Princess Peach running out a good winner of the R300 000 Gr3 The Debutante.
Richard Fourie keeps Princess Peach at her task as she is chased by Neptune’s Rain (obscured)
Kotzen won this race in 2014 with Rosier and came to the party with the Varsfontein-bred Princess Peach, who had showed her colours when running fourth behind Brave Mary in the Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship at her penultimate start.
Easy to back at 8 to 1, Princess Peach tracked the pacemaking Celestina all the way round and moved up and past her at the 300m. She quickened well, and with the fancied Neptune’s Rain having to make up a few lengths from off the pace, the race was in the bag inside the final 200m. Princess Peach won by 0,25 lengths in a time of 70,47 secs.
Neptune’s Rain looks very decent and her third win can’t be far off.
Lezeanne Forbes was all smiles as her Gimmethegreenlight filly Light On Her Toes found her form again and stormed through late to get third and 1,75 lengths back.
Glen Kotzen – great day at the races
The favourite Celestina faded badly to run last.
Trainer Glen Kotzen said that Princess Peach was ‘a little bit quirky’. “She is top class and I can’t say enough about Varsfontein. If we can afford to buy them we do,” said the in-form trainer.
Jockey Richard Fourie said that Princess Peach ‘was very precocious’. “But she was a lot better today and kept her antics to two spins. She has had a lot of hard racing in tough company but I think it was a clever move by Mr Kotzen to run her here. In the race itself, my reins got tangled with my whip and I thus kept the stick off her and waited for the filly down the inside to challenge,” said the top jockey.
Bred by Varsfontein Stud, the winner is by the recently deceased Captain Al (Al Mufti) out of one-time winner Princess Tobin (Badger Land). The latter produced stakes winners Badger’s Cove (Joshua Dancer) and Princess Alberta (Captain Al)
She was purchased for R700 000 off the 2016 BSA Val De Vie Yearling Sale.
Princess Peach has won 2 races with 2 places from 6 starts for stakes of R281 875 – she also qualified for the BSA Added Value Stakes Bonus of R87 500.
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Gr3 The Debutante (SAf-Gr3)
Greyville, South Africa, July 30, R300k, 1200m, turf, good, 1.10.47
1 – PRINCESS PEACH (SAF), 58.0, b f 2, Captain Al (SAF) – Princess Tobin (SAF) by Badger Land (USA). Owner Chrigor Stud (Pty) Ltd (Nom: Mrs S Hattingh); Breeder Varsfontein Stud; trainer GS Kotzen; jockey R Fourie
2 – Neptune’s Rain (SAF), 60.0, b f 2, Antonius Pius (USA) – Water Is Gold (SAF) by Rich Man’s Gold (USA)
3 – Light On Her Toes (SAF), 58.0, b f 2, Gimmethegreenlight (AUS) – On Her Toes (SAF) by Western Winter (USA)
Margins: 0.25, 1.75, 0.50
