The Peter Muscutt team celebrated a superb feature double at a wet Hollywoodbets Greyville on Monday with the unfancied Rockie Reef storming home to win the R125 000 Gr3 Flamboyant Stakes.
Like her stablemate Formagear who secured the honours in the Listed Christmas Handicap a half hour earlier, Rockie Reef was registering a maiden black-type success and ran a gallant race under an emotional Deryl Daniels.
Deryl Daniels steers Rockie Reef to something of a surprise win (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Daniels made a comeback to the game in March last year, and couldn’t have wished for a better kickstart into 2024.
Ironically he was riding the winner for the Hollywoodbets -sponsored Peter Muscutt yard, who had given him his first job back some years ago on the anniversary of the running of the same race, which they won.
A 5yo mare, Rockie Reef (33-1) was covered early and then built up in the straight as she finished too strongly for Gauteng visitor Lady Of Power (9-2) by a half length in a time of 99,83 secs.
Another visitor, Marigold Hotel (3-1) stayed on for third and 0,70 lengths back.
Enjoy the replay here:
The winner is raced by the Estate of the late Mr B L Rae & Ros Coetzee.
Bred by East Cape-based Ascot Stud, she is by multiple Gr1 winner Jackson (Dynasty) out of the YK-raced Rock Of Gibraltar mare, Rockie Bright.
Rockie Reef is a half sister to the smart Heavenly Blue filly Three Rocks who runs in Saturday’s Cartier Gr2 Sceptre Stakes.
She has now won 6 races with 6 places from her 20 starts for stakes of R432 050.
The final two races on the card were abandoned after the jockeys raised a protest about the track conditions.
