The Hollywoodbets Gr3 Victress Stakes (14 December) and Cartier Gr1 Paddock Stakes (4 January) are on the agenda for Saturday’s impressive winner Red Palace, who dished out a galloping lesson to her five rivals, including fellow 4yo and 5-10 favourite Double Grand Slam, at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday.
Red Palace (Aldo Domeyer) charges clear (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
In the absence of a feature proper, the R180 000 Prestige Plate headed the ten-race card at a sundrenched Country Course, where shiny, happy people hugged the rail and added to the atmosphere of the third last racemeeting before the Cape Racing roadshow travels across the Peninsula to their HQ and the start of some big summer season action.
While most of the six horse field in the 1400m contest were in need of the outing, the pace was a solid one as it inevitably is over the shorter cuts at Hollywoodbets Durbanville.
And just when Richard Fourie had Double Grand Slam poised to swoop for the kill at the 300m, Aldo Domeyer set the last start Riding High Together Gr2 Gold Bracelet victress Red Palace (7-2) alight, and the daughter of Potala Palace (Singspiel) lengthened as she cruised in for a facile victory by 2,50 lengths.
Candice Bass-Robinson and Mark Bass welcome back Red Palace and Aldo Domeyer (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
No time was taken and the 119 Red Palace had Double Grand Slam (118) coming up for air. The Snaith charge will undoubtedly improve and there return match at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in the height of the summer should make for interesting watching.
The mare Time For Love (20-1) stayed on for third, a further length back, without threatening.
Raced by Terry and Annabel Andrews, Mark Bass & C A F Goncalves & Mr H G & Mrs N S C Breydenbach, and Candice Bass-Robinson, Red Palace was one of Ridgemont’s Gr1 sire Potala Palace’s two winners on the day, with Piet Steyn’s gelding Prince Of Tibet forcing JP van der Merwe to earn every cent of his commission, getting up firmly ridden in the ninth.
Winner of both the Riding High Together Gr2 Gold Bracelet and Listed Stormsvlei Stakes last season, the 2023 Hollywoodbets Gr1 Cape Guineas runner-up Red Palace was bred by Terry Andrews, and has now won five of 14 starts and has earned R1 127 012 in stakes. She is out of the Jay Peg mare In Limine.
The inform Potala Palace, a Gr1-winning son of Singspiel from the family of Nureyev, Sadler’s Wells and Fairy King, is also the sire of the progressive colt Eiger Sanction. The latter made it four wins in a row when victorious at the Vaal last Thursday.
