Defying top weight and given plenty to do in the straight, the Gimmethegreenlight colt Surcharge marked himself a Gauteng classic candidate of serious standing with a cracking late run to win the R250 000 Gr3 Tony Ruffel Stakes at Turffontein on Saturday.
Piere Strydom has Surcharge in full flight (Pic – JC Photos)
Trainer Stuart Pettigrew has a smart 3yo on his hands and he broke Mike de Kock’s stranglehold on this feature with an exciting sort, who is yet to go further than 1400m, but chalked his second stakes success over the course and distance in the manner of a horse with a future.
Piere Strydom had Surcharge well back in play as Wonderwall led Sir David Baird and Yakeen.
At the 300m the lesser fancied of the De Kock trio Sir David Baird grabbed the initiative and looked a winner at the 200m. But Piere Strydom had other ideas and he unleased Surcharge with a storming late effort.
The handsome colt took off and sailed past Sir David Baird to register a good win by 0,60 lengths in a time of 84,80 secs..
Sir David Baird showed his Cape Guineas run to be wrong as he stayed on for second, a length ahead of the improved again Wonderwall.
The fancied Yakeen ran a disappointing race, finishing siixth and 6 lengths off the winner.
The Varsfontein bred Surcharge is a son of Gimmethegreenlight (More Than Ready) out of the UK bred Congestion Charge (Diktat), who was placed over 2300m.
He has won 5 races with 1 place from 7 starts for stakes of R523 375. He also qualified for the BSA Added Value Stakes Bonus of R 87 500.
He was a vendor buy back on the 2016 BSA Val De Vie yearling sale and was then sold for R200 000 off the BSA National Yearling Sale of the same year.
He was put through the ring and bought back for R550 000 by Dusty Trail Investments off the 2016 CTS Johannesburg Ready To Run Sale. He races in the Ian Van Schalkwyk silks.
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Gr3 Tony Ruffel Stakes (SAf-Gr3)
Turffontein, South Africa, February 3, R250k, 1400m, turf, good, 1.24.08
1 – SURCHARGE (SAF), 60.0, b c 3, Gimmethegreenlight (AUS) – Congestion Charge (GB) by Diktat (ANY). Owner Mr I F M van Schalkwyk; Breeder Varsfontein Stud; trainer ST Pettigrew; jockey P Strydom
2 – Sir David Baird (SAF), 56.0, b g 3, Dynasty (SAF) – Oceana (SAF) by Elliodor (FR)
3 – Wonderwall (SAF), 58.0, b c 3, Querari (GER) – Westwardly (SAF) by Silvano (GER)
Margins: 0.60, 1.00, 2.10
