An impressive victory by a well related Australian-bred first timer was the standout eyecatching performance at Scottsville on Sunday, on what was a tough day at the office for punters.
The Pick 6 dividend is always a reliable barometer of the customer friendly nature of any particular meeting and R507 444 tells the story.
The problems came to the boil in the final three legs, with reserve runner Roy’s Twilight putting the final nail in the coffin when paying R34 a win to get up in the last for Gary Rich. The daughter of local sire Al Miqdaam had only recently won her maiden at her sixth attempt.
The quartet, partly carried over, paid R582 912 in a PA blowout of epic proportions.
Mygirldownunder (Anton Marcus) wins in a canter
But the highlight of the afternoon came in the opener when Australian bred Mygirldownunder won a cracker at her first start.
Anton Marcus rode the Gr 1 Prix Morny winner Myboycharlie filly in Brian Burnard’s silks to an impressive hands-and-heels win to beat odds on debut winner Ebtihaal by 4,75 lengths.
While the runner up gave weight to the winner, it was a distinctive performance and assistant trainer Gareth Van Zyl’s emotion in the post-race interview spoke loudly.
On this, the Allan Robertson Championship looks a likely short-term target,
Mygirldownunder was originally acquired for A$30k yearling and retained by owner Brian Burnard at the CTS Gauteng Reasdy To Run Sale, where bidding went to R2 million. Going through the ring on that sale would have qualified her as a Million Dollar race candidate.
There are some interesting family connections to Met winner Smart Call.
Her dam, Nervate, a five-time winning daughter of More Than Ready is out of a half-sister to Greys Inn and to the dam of Smart Call.
Rosedene Stud has a Greys Inn filly on the CTS March Yearling Sale next weekend (#50), whose dam Two Cities is 3-part sister to Horse Chestnut.
In that context Good Judgement, the dam of Smart Call, is by Horse Chestnut out of a sister to Greys Inn.
That makes the filly and Good Judgement very close relatives.
The best bet of the day and a popular exotic anchor arrived in the third.
The Argonaut gelding Natal won the 1200m Graduation Plate under a confident steer from Brandon Lerena.
The Cheveley Stud-bred galloper notched up his 3rd win from 4 starts and looks a terrific value buy at just R60 000. Trainer Michael Roberts rates him very highly and he looks to have Champions Season aspirations for him.
Canigao (Warren Kennedy) storms clear to beat the low-flying All Together Now (Anthony Delpech) easier than the official margin suggests
Dean Kannemeyer maintained his excellent Summerveld satellite base form with the Western Winter gelding Canigao registering his fourth win from five starts, and a genuine hat-trick to boot.
Despite being slow away, he came forward powerfully inside the final 200m of the 1950m MR 80 Handicap to score his first win on turf in the hands of Warren Kennedy.
