All The Way! Halfway To Heaven (Bernard Fayd’herbe) storms home in the Listed Off To Stud Handicap
Mike De Kock dominated the finish of the R150 000 Listed Off To Stud Handicap run over 1800m at Scottsville on Sunday. His recently acquired Jet Master mare Halfway To Heaven showed her class to win a tight contest from her stablemate Checcetti.
The Gr3 Prix Du Cap winner registered the second stakes win of her career and showed her ability in a race where she was the highest rated runner.
De Kock saddled three mares, and ironically it was Berry Blaze, who had topped betting boards in an open race, that landed being their only representative to go home penniless.
This race is the traditional last chance saloon for a black type credit.
In a slow run race, Las Ramblas led the charge from Himalayan Hill and Halfway To Heaven.
Checcetti and Daily Flight were further back, while Berry Blaze and Lineal Factor were near the rear after a slow start.
Into the run for home, Las Ramblas folded quickly as last year’s winner Himalayan Hill looked dangerous as she hit the front at the 300m. Checcetti and Halfway To Heaven were kicking on down the inside.
The two De Kock runners came together and were left to fight it out with the luckless Beloved Betty climbing all over them with nowhere to go.
Halfway To Heaven got home by half a length in a time of 111,13secs under a powerful ride by Bernard Fayd’herbe, who was having something of an uninspiring off day up to this point.
Checcetti finished well to make it a top two for De Kock, while another Jet Master in the longshot Daily Flight ran third.The latter was the only participant with no black type at all, and her owners Maine Chance Farms are doubtless over the moon with the minor credit.
The luckless Beloved Betty ran a gallant fourth and would have finished a lot closer, but for a traffic jam in the latter stages.
Bred by Gavin Walker in whose blue and yellow silks she raced for much of her career in the care of Eric Sands, Halfway To Heaven is by Jet Master out of the eight time winning Rambo Dancer mare, Pas De Basque.
She now races in the famous black and scarlet of Wilgerbosdrift Stud, and she add plenty of value to their already illustrious broodmare band.
She was having her 17th outing and registered her seventh win with seven places for career earnings of R443 350.
