One of South African horseracing’s most powerful owner partnerships celebrated their first joint feature success at Turffontein on Saturday when the progressive Maine Chance bred Vercingetorix colt Marauding Horde stamped his promise with a smooth victory in the R200 000 TAB Listed Hawwaam Stakes.
Marauding Horde steps up from his maiden victory to register a smart win under Marco van Rensburg (Pic – JC Photos)
The 2000m contest, known previously as the Derby Trial, was run for the first time in honour of former Mike de Kock champion and present day Wilgerbosdrift sire Hawwaam, who was South Africa’s Champion 3yo of 2018-2019 and won 10 of his 13 starts, including five victories at Gr level.
On Saturday the stars aligned as Mike de Kock saddled the first winner of the rebranded race when the clearly promising colt sprouted wings at the 300m to win going away at 33-10.
The handsome athlete beat the Fanie Bronkhorst challenger George Handel by 4,25 lengths in a time of 125,57 secs. This was substantially faster than the fairer sex equivalent a half hour earlier.
Paul Matchett’s Atarime – yet another eyecatching son of the deceased New Predator – was a neck back in third.
Lucky Houdalakis’ Hawkbill was unfortunately pulled out of the race at around the 800m by Piere Strydom – the Stipes report will tell us more.
The winner is owned in a power partnership of Laurence and Jarryd Wernars, Gaynor Rupert’s Drakenstein Stud, Pieter Graaff’s Lammerskraal Stud, the Kieswetter family’s Ridgemont, Mary Slack’s Wilgerbosdrift, and Hollywood’s Devin Heffer.
Jockey Marco van Rensburg, who returned recently from a stint in Dubai, was clearly impressed, labelling the winner a horse ‘with a will to win and a nice turn of foot’.
Trainer Mike de Kock said the winner was a standout at the sales, and an athletic specimen that could go a long way.
Bred by Maine Chance, Marauding Horde is a son of Vercingetorix (Silvano) out of the feature winner producing Indigo Magic mare My Lady Bluff.
A R750 000 National Yearling Sale graduate, Marauding Horde has now won 2 of his 4 starts for 2 places and stakes of R257 375.
