Too Fast. Viva La Var stretches out to win the Need For Speed Sprint (Equine Edge)
Dennis Drier and Sean Cormack produced the goods yet again at Kenilworth on Saturday when the super quick Var gelding Viva La Var ground his opposition into the dust with a clinical display of superior pace in the R150 000 Need For Speed Sprint.
It was probably appropriate too that the event was won by a son of one of our great speed stallions of recent years. Originally sponsored by,and the brainchild of, the Var Syndicate, the race is a fairly generously endowed non black type contest run over the 1000m.
And it lost no lustre when a small field of just six runners lined up.
Viva La Var was allowed to drift to 2 to 1 before the off, despite his unbeaten record of two good wins.
He jumped smartly in the high riding Papageorgiou family silks (what a year they have had) and was always in front.
At the 400m marker, the challengers came but Cormack had conserved his mount well. Pushing him with the hands, he may as well as left his whip back in the jockey room.
Sean Cormack. Feature double on yet another good day
Viva La Var drew clear and stayed on best, although Zambezi Torrent finished well in his new owenr’s silks to cut the eventual winning margin to a 0,40 length.
Gulf Storm ran on best of the rest into third.
Now unbeaten in three from three, Viva La Var took his earnings to R176 875
Viva La Var had won his first start in the Cape at Kenilworth just three weeks earlier, after an eight month plus absence. He stepped up a few leagues here and had his detractors, as he looked under some pressure on the handicap with the likes of Zambezi Torrent and Ace Antonius.
Viva La Var is an R800 000 National Yearling Sale graduate.
Bred by Avontuur, he is all speed being by Var out of the lightning quick seven time winning National Assembly mare, Viva. He is the top-class Viva’s first foal. She is a daughter of the leading speed influence National Assembly. Viva is a half-sister to high-class sprinter, Cartel.
South Africa’s first lady of the speed scene, Pippa Mickleburgh, was on course to enjoy the moment. Apparently only there for the one race, after recovering from surgery recently, her presence would have given the doubting Thomases some comfort.
It was interesting to hear the on course tipsters going against Viva La Var!
But he looks to have a very bright future, and only time will answer the question as to whether he goes further than 1000m.
