Speed Queen! Solarium guns away to win the Summer Speedsters under Robbie Fradd
Trainer Mike Azzie maintained his terrific record with the progeny of super stallion Var, when Solarium won the non black type Summer Speedsters Stakes at the Vaal on Tuesday.
The fillies and mares sand 1000m feature included the twelve time winning Mannequin, who found her 62kgs too great a burden to bear on the day and faded after showing pace.
Solarium was going for her third win on the trot, after having won her previous two starts by a total of 7,25 lengths. She was naturally a hot order and went off at 5 to 10.
The favourite was out of the stalls in a flash but Randall Simons took Mannequin out to lead, just ahead of Solarium, with Flying Foo and Miss Cantona just off them.
At the 400m marker Mannequin tired as Robbie Fradd pressed Solarium for her effort and she glided forward to take the lead.
Her superiority was quickly asserted, and while she looked to shorten her stride late in the race, with Fradd glancing nervously across at the opposition, Solarium went on strongly to win well.
Her official winning marging was 0,75 lengths and she won in a time of 59,32 secs.
Nooresh Juglall and Kum Naidoo almost repeated their feat with Napoleon Dynamite in the Lightning Stakes a half hour earlier, when Ikati flew late from last for second place.
The lightly weighted outsider Club Captain stayed on for third at 45 to 1.
The 4yo Solarium was bred by Avontuur Stud and is by Var out of the American-bred Cure The Blues mare Red Remedy.She sold for R260 000 on the National Yearling Sale.
Her full-brother, the smartly named Rock Me Var, sold as lot 33 for R550 000 on the recent Cape Premier Yearling Sale in Cape Town to Azzie patron, Andre Van Vuuren.
Fradd suggested that the outstanding filly had earned a well deserved break after a tough campaign.
