The beautifully bred Silvano filly Girl On The Run showed her class as she stepped on the power late to score a deserved first career stakes success when storming home to win the R250 000 Gr3 Yellowwood Handicap in fine style.
Randall Simons steers Girl On The Run to a smooth win (Pic JC Photos)
The Yellowwood Handicap opened the Charity Mile Day feature menu and while the favourite Fortissima failed to produce the goods, the fast improving and quietly fancied Silvano filly took the race by the scruff of the neck to win well.
“She’s getting better and I must compliment Justin Vermaak and the Maine Chance team for showing so much patience with her. She is developing into a nice stayer,” said trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren after Randall Simons produced Girl On The Run late in the race to hold off a determined Polyphonic and win by 2,50 lengths in a time of 110,75 secs.
Randall Simons – rode a well judged race
Simons thanked his colleagues for delivering a pace that was worthy of producing a true-run contest.
“I had her well positioned from the positive draw and she produced her homework to win well,” said the underrated lightweight.
With Fortissima starting a weak 7-2 favourite, Girl On The Run was easy to back at 7’s and she took full advantage of her improvement curve and the 52kgs allotted by the handicapper to win like a horse with a future.
Both the top two raced proudly in the silks of their breeders, and while the Varsfontein Stud-bred Polyphonic took her time to wind up down the inside rail, she showed courage and held on well to grab second, ahead of the late arriving Fortissima in third.
The Maine Chance Farms-bred 4yo Girl On The Run is a daughter of the ever prominent Silvano and is out of the unraced Badger Land mare, Girl From Granada. She is bred to go another 700m!
Girl On The Run scored a deserved first stakes victory and took her stakes tally to R336 225, with her fourth win from 9 starts. She has been consistent too – her 5 places attesting to that.
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Gr3 Yellowwood Handicap (SAf-Gr3)
Turffontein, South Africa, November 5, R250k, 1800m, turf, good, 1.50.75
1 – GIRL ON THE RUN (SAF), 52.0, ch f 4, Silvano (GER) – Girl From Grenada (SAF) by Badger Land (USA). Owner Maine Chance Farms (Pty) Ltd (Nom: Dr W A & Mrs N Jacobs); Breeder Maine Chance; trainer JJ v Vuuren; jockey R Simons
2 – Polyphonic (SAF), 60.0, b f 4, Judpot (USA) – Princess Polly (SAF) by Royal Chalice (SAF)
3 – Fortissima (SAF), 52.5, b f 4, Fort Wood (USA) – Synchronize (SAF) by Al Mufti (USA)
Margins: 2.50, 1.00, 0.30
