After winning her first Gr1 race just a week earlier, Vaal trainer Ashley Fortune was on the mark again with her maiden Gr2 at Turffontein on Saturday when the What A Winter filly Winter Smoke benefitted from a great ride by Ryan Munger to win the R300 000 Racing 240 Camelia Stakes.
Taking his chances down the reportedly ‘dead’ strip down the inside, Ryan Munger got Winter Smoke balanced and moving fluently as the 2020 Magnolia winner ran on too powerfully for her opposition.
Ryan Munger rode a cracker to get Winter Smoke home (Pic – JC Photos)
Starting at generous 25-1 after her trainer had suggested it wasn’t the greatest renewal of the Camelia Stakes that she had seen, Winter Smoke held off Sound Of Warning (9-4) by 0,75 lengths in a time of 67,29 secs.
Sweet Future (7-2) was 0,30 lengths back in third.
The winner is raced by Faizel Vahab, Deon Anthony, Andrew Fortune and Mario Wilken and is now a dual graded stakes winner with 5 wins and 8 places from 20 starts. She has banked R513 250,
A R150 000 National Yearling Sale graduate, Winter Smoke was bred by Richard Fitzgerald and was another feature winner on the day for former Equus Champion Sprinter What A Winter (Western Winter) and is out of the one-time winner Chatanooga Chuchu (Cataloochee).
