Gauteng-based owners and breeders Danny and Ronel Collins have a really smart sprinting filly on their hands in the shape of the aptly-named Hello Winter Hello.
The lightly raced daughter of What A Winter grabbed her second stakes success when finishing powerfully to win the R85 000 Listed Laisserfaire Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday.
In a tricky fillies and mares handicap, last season’s Listed Olympic Duel Stakes winner was astutely covered up and relaxed a few lengths off the pace by Craig Zackey, as a powerful north-west wind buffeted the outside runners in the stampede down the 1100m straight.
Richard Fourie had Phil’s Dancer out front and setting a solid gallop with the Adam Marcus-trained 7-2 favourite Hello Winter Hello about 8 lengths off the edge, but gaining momentum down the inside.
Into the final 200m, Hello Winter Hello bounded away and kept the game and superbly consistent Phil’s Dancer (9-2) to a 1,25 length margin at the line.
The winner clocked 64,52 secs.
Greg Ennion’s longshot On Captain’s Side (20-1) finished best to boost the trifecta, another 2,25 lengths off in third. The Snaith’s made it second and fourth, when Lilac Sensation (25-1) snared the fourth cheque.
Hello Winter Hello, a R140,000 weanling from the 2017 CTS Select Mares Weanlings & Fillies for Stud Sale, was bred by Favour Stud.
She is a daughter of Drakenstein’s leading First Crop Sire of 2016/17, Triple Equus Champion What A Winter (Western Winter) and is out of the Dominion Royale mare I’m Like Hello.
What A Winter has 16 lots on this week’s Emperors Palace National 2YO Sale, and ten lots on the CTS Ready To Run, Unbroken 2 Year Old & Mixed Sale.