Former Mike de Kock-trained SA bred star Gimme A Nother may have relinquished her seven run unbeaten record but made a top-class North American debut after an eleven month break in Saturday’s Gr2 $US225 000 Hillsborough Stakes run over 1800m at Tampa Bay Downs in Florida.
Having last raced on African soil when winning the TAB Gr1 Empress Club Stakes in early April 2024, Gimme A Nother flew to France in September 2024, before arriving in the USA in late November.
Irad Ortiz Jr. and Gimme A Nother valiantly chase Saffron Moon (Flavien Prat) home (Pic – Tampa Bay Downs Racecourse)
In training since early January, the now 5yo mare produced a top effort when second beaten three quarters of length by Chad Brown-trained Saffron Moon who got first run in the straight.
The Daily Racing Form reported that backing up her course-record performance in the Gr3 Endeavour Stakes last month, Saffron Moon found a huge opening in the upper stretch under Flavien Prat and powered home a three-quarter-length winner over Gimme a Nother.
It was 2,25 lengths back to Venencia in third.
Chad Brown trained the winner, the third-place finisher and sixth-place finisher Spaliday as he won his record-extending seventh Hillsborough.
Irad Ortiz Jr. who rode Gimme A Nother told trainer Graham Motion that the daughter of SA champion Gimmethegreenlight took a while to get going, but overall said he was pleased with the performance.
Motion reportedly also believes Gimme a Nother may want more ground.
“He said he had to wait because he was going to get fanned so wide on the last turn, and then it took her awhile to get going,” Motion said. “He was very pleased with her, he said what I said, she might want to go a little farther.
Graeme Motion – happy with effort (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
“She hasn’t run since April. It does make a difference,” Motion added “She was a little surprised by everything, she was a little spooked about things. It’s all new to her.”
Gimme A Nother is a fairytale on her own as a third generation stakes winner formerly trained by Mike de Kock.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, she is by champion sire Gimmethegreenlight (More Than Ready) out of the Tiger Ridge champion, Nother Russia,
Mary Slack purchased Gimme A Nother’s grandam Mother Russia from Klawervlei Stud as a dual Gr1 winner of the Fancourt Majorca and Empress Club Stakes. Mother Russia duly rewarded her new owner with victory in the Gr1 Paddock Stakes and in what was arguably the highlight of her star-studded career, the coveted Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, a memorable occasion given that she thwarted the mighty Pocket Power’s bid of a fifth consecutive victory in the celebrated mile race.
There were high hopes for the champion daughter of Windrush when she retired to her owner’s Wilgerbosdrift paddocks as a four-time Gr1 winner. However, racing and breeding is fraught with incredible highs and the heartbreak that is the flip side, hence it was not just a cruel blow when Mother Russia died at age ten, her innings as a broodmare yielded just a single foal by Tiger Ridge.
Fortunately, that foal, a filly named Nother Russia, is keeping the dream alive.
Like her mom before her, she joined the De Kock stable but raced in the colours of Jessica Jell , who had purchased the chestnut from the Wilgerbosdrift draft for R550 000 at the BSA National Yearling Sale. She ended up a dual Gr1 winning eight-time winner.
With two Gr1 trophies in her 7 and a second place from 8 starts, we haven’t heard the last of Gimme A Nother!
