The China Horse Club celebrated their first South African feature race success when the Querari filly Dagmar bounded home on debut for Mike de Kock at Turffontein on Saturday to win the R150 000 Listed Ruffian Stakes.
Querari during his racing career -an exciting sire prospect
The first three home were daughters of Maine Chance stallion, Querari, and after his son Monks Hood’s cracking Gauteng Guineas win at the same venue a week earlier, there will be plenty of interest in the son of Oasis Dream’s 42 yearlings who come on the market next month – 26 at the BSA National Yearling Sale and 16 at the CTS April Yearling Sale.
With Gr1 victories across the globe, including Australia, Britain, France, Ireland, Singapore and the USA, the low-key Listed score by Dagmar will be seen as a quiet start here for the China Horse Club, an organisation started by Teo Ah Khing to be Asia’s premier lifestyle, business and thoroughbred racing club.
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Muzi Yeni crouches low on Dagmar (Pic – JC Photographics)
Those punters who had followed the Gold Circle First-Timer comments published on Sporting Post may have benefitted from Matthew de Kock’s pre-race assessment that the 20-1 shot Dagmar was ‘showing plenty of speed and based on that must have a good each way chance’.
The daughter of Querari’s chances were undoubtedly enhanced by the unfortunate withdrawal at the start of favourite Miss Khalifa, and that left the Alec Laird filly Frankly, the favourite. The daughter of Frankel never showed past midfield and failed to make the frame – much to the disappointment of exotic punters.
In winning form! Muzi Yeni
But after showing smart pace, Dagmar powered home under Muzi Yeni to beat Urban Oasis by 2,10 lengths in a time of 59,24 secs.
Debut winner River Rafting was a further 3 lengths back, rounding off the Querari trifecta.
Frankly ran out of the money and 7,25 lengths behind.
A R450 000 Cape Premier Yearling Sale graduate, Dagmar was bred by Maine Chance Farms and is out of the eight-time winner Daffodil Day (Silvano).
She has earned R93 750.
