Equus candidate Sparkling Water will remain in training for the 2022/3 racing season following her phenomenal success in the Gr1 Hollywoodbets Durban July on Saturday 2 July.
Following a meeting after the race with owner/breeder Mary Slack it was decided that Sparkling Water will be aimed at the forthcoming summer features in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Sparkling Water and her Groom Job Motha share a quiet moment (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Mike de Kock commented: “Mary likes her fillies to go to stud at Wilgerbosdrift on a high, but even before the July we were thinking of keeping Sparkling Water in training at five, because she is only now coming into her own and reaching her physical peak. This late improvement with maturity is typical of Silvano’s progeny, and she showed in her manner of victory that there is more to come from her.”
Mike said that the 6lb penalty (MR116 to MR122) allotted to the July winner was a fair adjustment. “We criticize the handicappers at times, but I think they got it right with her now. We’ll aim Sparkling Water at the Summer Cup and then the Paddock Stakes and the Cape Met. If the travelling avenues open up, I’d like to take a string of horses to Cape Town for the season like we’ve done in Durban this year. A Cape spell will also depend on whether we have three-year-olds good enough to compete in the classics later this year, but I believe we will.”
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