Wonder mare Enable may have failed in her bid to win Sunday’s iconic Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for an historical third time, yet the weekend belonged to the fairer sex, with fillies and mares hogging the limelight on a global scale.
First up in Australia, New Zealand-bred mare Probabeel overcame a wide draw to beat the boys in the mile Gr1 Epsom Handicap at Randwick, amongst which South African-bred Gr1 winner Yulong Prince, who was involved in a three-way tussle for the minor money and had to settle for fourth, was beaten a head and shorthead.
The time-honoured Gr1 Cox Plate could be next for the daughter of Savabeel.
Savabeel
Fellow Kiwi Verry Elleegant notched her fifth top level success when she accounted for the Gr1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington, which elevated her to favouritism for the Caulfield Cup ahead of Aidan O’Brien’s Anthony Van Dyck.
In an all-girl finish, Verry Elleegant had a shorthead to spare over Toffee Tongue, yet another Kiwi-bred and winner of last season’s Gr1 Schweppes Oaks winner.
Barely hours later at Pimlico, the 145th running of the Gr1 Preakness Stakes served up an epic stretch battle, with three-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver outduelling Kentucky Derby winner Authentic by a neck, the pair finishing almost 10 lengths in front of the third placed contender. Swiss Skydiver is only the sixth filly to take home the blanket of Black-eyed Susans.
Swiss Skydiver after her Preakness score
It was a second Gr1 success for the daughter of Turkey-based Daredevil (More Than Ready), to go along with a previous victory in the Gr1 Alabama Oaks.
Closer to home, South African racegoers witnessed a remarkable trio of fillies strut their stuff. Var’s daughter Anything Goes, voted the Champion Juvenile Filly of 2019-20, took on her elders for the first time in Turffontein’s Gr2 Joburg Spring Filly & Mare Challenge.
The sole three-year-old in the line-up, she could not have been more impressive, strolling to an imperious three-length victory while stretching her perfect record to five from five. If this effort is anything to go by, the extra furlong of the Gauteng Fillies Guineas should be well within her scope.
That mile Classic promises to be a contest to stir the blood, considering she is likely to reoppose War Of Athena, who had run her to a diminishing neck in the Gr1 Thekwini Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
Anything Goes wins the Gr1 Thekweni Stakes (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
A daughter of Act Of War, she too gave notice of her class when powering to victory over 1200m in the preceding race. Although Paul Matchett’s budding star had but a neck to spare over Gr2 Debutante victress Ecstatic Green, she always had that one’s measure in a win full of merit over a distance short off her best.
At Durbanville, three-year-old Captain’s Ransom (Captain Al) took a leaf out of Anything Goes’ book with a breathtaking last gasp defeat of older rivals in the Gr3 Diana Stakes.
The Snaith runner unleashed a powerful rally from well back to spoil the party of the dual Gr1 winning mare Clouds Unfold, who looked to have the race in the bag inside the final furlong. Also successful in the Perfect Promise Sprint, Captain’s Ransom’s sole defeat in four starts came in the Listed Irridescence Stakes when beaten a long head.
Jessica Marcialis – first lady jockey to ride a Gr1 winner in France (Facebook)
Finally, it would be remiss not to make mention of Sunday’s Gr1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac, where Jessica Marcialis stepped into the history books as the first female jockey to ride a Gr1 winner in France after guiding her trainer husband’s Irish-bred Tiger Tanaka (Clodovil) to victory in the mile race for juvenile fillies.
