Saturday’s Hollywoodbets Durbanville card is a cracker. When last have seven Gr1 winners seen duty on a country course programme?
In order of appearance, the Gr1 winner Saturday honour roll is Tempting Fate, Rio Querari, Princess Calla, Double Superlative, Linebacker, Trip Of Fortune and Mrs Geriatrix.
Big race contenders have commenced their programmes at Hollywoodbets Durbanville in the past with great success!
Take the outstanding Empress Club.
Empress Club wins the 1993 J&B Met
The daughter of Farnesio started the season with what was generally regarded as a warm-up in the Southeaster Sprint at the country course on 15 December 1992.
She met a choice selection of seasoned sprinters over 1000m. The magnitude of her task was reflected in her starting price, with the bookmakers freely offering 4/1 about the top weight. Vying for favouritism were the previous season’s top sprint filly Marie Galante (16/10) and Taban, who would be given title of Sprinter of the Year at the end of that season.
Ridden by Anton Marcus, Empress Club had been set to give 3 kilos to the filly, and half a kilo more to Taban. Marie Galante was in front from the break, and came into the straight with Taban at her quarters. Empress Club raced some 3 lengths back in third, moving smoothly, then drew level with the champion sprinters a furlong out to win going away by a length and a half.
For good measure, Empress Club also broke the (hand-timed) course record to show that this win was no fluke.
She was to go on from there and beat Flaming Rock in both the Gr1 Queen’s Plate and the Gr1 J&B Met, before heading North to win the Gr1 First National Bank 1600 at Turffontein in early March. That would be the final win of an illustrious career.
The ‘Galloping Goldmine’ started twenty times over three seasons and registered 15 wins (9 of which were Gr1’s) with 2 places and prize money of R3 151 975
She died at Gainesway Farm in December 2004.
