Milnerton veteran Eric Sands pulled an ace out of his sleeve in the shape of his Fire Away colt My Golly Molly, who nabbed the highly regarded Snaith charge Hluhluwe in the final stride under a superb Sean Veale ride to win the R300 000 World Sports Betting Gr3 Langerman at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
Racing in the familiar black and white strip of golf legend Gary Player, in partnership with Nick & Val McFall, Canine Solutions CC (Nom: Mr D C O’Driscoll) the Sands Grooms Racing Trust, the handsome chestnut overcame the odds and showed his appreciation for the trip, and that his last start was all wrong!
My Golly Molly (Sean Veale) slips through down the inside of Grant van Niekerk and Hluhluwe (Pic – Cape Racing)
My Golly Molly (16-1) snuck through on the rail to peg back the long-striding Hluhluwe (3-1) to seal a courageous victory by a head in a time of 99 seconds flat.
Zil Moris (7-2) looked dangerous late and stayed on into third, 1,75 lengths back and beating the smart Snow Pilot (3-1) by 0,40 lengths into fourth.
“His last run was all wrong. He was too exposed. Sean Veale rode a terrific race here. My Golly Molly was slow away and he had to make up plenty of ground. I’m thrilled for the owners and my Grooms, who own a share,” said Eric Sands.
Bred by Rennie Price’ Wicklow Stud, My Golly Molly is a second stakes winner after the multiple stakes-winning filly La Luna, for Wilgerbosdrift’s exciting War Front stallion, Fire Away.
The winner is out of the twice-winning Western Winter mare, Molly R. He has scored 2 wins from 5 starts with a single place cheque, and took his stakes to R267 200. He looks an astute purchase at R200 000 from the National Yearling Sale and the Langerman is inevitably the starting point for better things.
First crop sire Fire Away won seven times, and earned more than $600 000, during his career with his trio of stakes wins headed by a triumph in the 2018 G3 Dixie Stakes.
The impeccably bred stallion is a half-brother to graded stakes winners Vigilantes Way (Gr3 Eatontown Stakes) and Mr Speaker (Gr1 Belmont Derby). The latter has also enjoyed success at stud, with Mr Speaker having sired the Gr1 winners Speech (Ashland Stakes) and Speaking Scout (Hollywood Derby).
Enjoy the replay:
