Little Darling! Darling Moon comes home strongly under Muzi Yeni
An alarming betting drift on the fancied Yoshie was the green light for Justin Snaith’s promising Indigo Magic filly Darling Moon to score a smart victory in Friday’s R130 000 Listed Lady’s Slipper Stakes at Fairview. Darling Moon showed courage after a good second in a listed race at Kenilworth six days earlier.
We have to hand it to Justin Snaith.
The young Cape trainer continues to plunder the Eastern Cape feature races with apparemt impunity and there were many that doubted that Darling Moon could win after the exertion of her good effort at Kenilworth just days earlier. But Snaith had the plan, while the locals looked on haplessly again.
Darling Moon had run on strongly for second in the 1500m Listed Irridescence Stakes on Saturday 8 June. She had no chance with the winner of that one, the Mike Bass trained Pure Power , but hit the high road to turn up at Fairview in fighting trim. It was a brave call with a 2yo filly in our book.
Yoshie drifted from the red just prior to the off, but as a promising four time winner running against three one time winners and a bunch of maidens, she looked a good thing in this 1400m feaure.
Yoshie fought jockey Stuart Randolph early on, but she eventually settled into third as Free Flight led Luv U Babes.
Into the straight Yoshie moved up with what looked like a double handful, with Darling Moon slipping through down her inside.
Inside the 300m, Yoshie began to flounder as the debutante Taipai Tigress started gaining her stride.
But Yeni was not panicking and he got Darling moon to rally and ward off all challengers.
Racing in the Fred Crabbia silks, Darling Moon went on strongly to win by a half length in a time of 87,70 secs.
The run of the race was produced by the second placed Steven Janse Van Rensburg trained Taipai Tigress, who looked a winner inside the final 300m. The daughter of Tiger Dance jumped from the widest draw and started at 100 to 1! What price her in a maiden next time?
Arrow Heart ran on doggedly for third. The maiden Pipette also showed up smartly to run a nice fourth.
Yoshie fell away to finish a disappointing sixth. Her trainer Alan Greeff was spot on when he suggested earlier that the only thing that could probably beat her was ‘herself.’ She will have to learn to settle.
Bred by Oldlands Stud, Darling Moon is by Indigo Magic out of the seven time winning Dominion Royale mare, Orange Moon. The winner is a half sister to last weekend’s Cup Trial winner and July hopeful, Astro News (also owned by Crabbia).
Darling Moon has now won twice with 4 places from six starts. She took her earnings to R162 800.
The Snaith story continues!
