Dean Kannemeyer ended the 2021/22 Cape Summer Season on a high note for his leading owner Lady Christine Laidlaw when the very smart 3yo Cosmic Highway upstaged the Rio Querari supporters club when he ran on powerfully to win the R600 000 Khaya Stables Gr2 Diadem Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday.
It was a memorable moment for Lady Laidlaw as a sponsor and an owner, and vindicated Kannemeyer’s decision to avoid trying to force his Cape Guineas third-placer to stay the 2000m of the Derby.
Keagan De Melo drives Cosmic Highway ahead to win his biggest career prize to date (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
In a chat with the Sporting Post during the build-up week, the Milnerton conditioner confirmed that Cosmic Highway’s entry in the Diadem was no sentimental move.
“He is there on merit and he is a horse possessed with plenty of natural speed. We are taking on the SA Champion Sprinter but Cosmic Highway will go close.”
Fortuitous words in the end and Keagan de Melo rode a peach of a confident race, producing Cosmic Highway down the inside into the final 200m.
And it was left to the two 3yo’s as Cosmic Highway (9-2) went on too strongly to beat Trip Of Fortune (7-1) by 1,25 lengths in a time of 71,38 secs.
Rio Querari (16-10) appeared outpaced early but stayed on steadily without threatening to run third.
A son of Gimmethegreenlight (More Than Ready), Cosmic Highway was bred by Maine Chance out of the Silvano one-time winner Cosmic Dream.
A R400 000 Cape Premier Yearling Sale buy, Cosmic Highway has won 4 races with 4 places from 8 starts for stakes of R722 000.
Cosmic Highway now heads to KZN for the stakes-boosted SA Champions Season where he is likely to be targetted at the KZN Guineas and the Daily News.
OFFICIAL RESULT
1 ST 7 COSMIC HIGHWAY DM Kannemeyer K de Melo 9/2
2 ND 8 TRIP OF FORTUNE C Bass-Robinson A Domeyer 1.25 1.25 13/2
3 RD 1 RIO QUERARI SJ Snaith G van Niekerk 0.20 1.45 33/20
4 TH 3 BEREAVE AN Marcus C Zackey 0.50 1.95 14/1
5 TH 2 SEEKING THE STARS VH Marshall A Marcus 0.30 2.25 28/10
TIME OF RACE: 1 min 11.38 sec
Tote Fav- 1 RIO QUERARI SJ Snaith G van Niekerk 1.45 33/20
