Sean Tarry’s dual Gr1 winning Equus Champion Sprinter elect Thunderstruck confirmed his well-being ahead of his Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint commitment at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on 1 June, when he benefitted from a beautifully judged Piere Strydom ride to win a R120 000 Pinnacle Stakes at Turffontein on Saturday.
The 4yo son of Rafeef is in the twilight of his racing career, with his place booked in the illustrious Ridgemont stallion barn down in the beautiful Robertson valley at the end of this term.
The angle is deceptive at this stage, but Piere Strydom has Thunderstruck ghosting up the inside to nab Ray Danielson and Ziyasha in the last stride (Pic – JC Photos)
But his brilliance and enthusiasm for racing was very much in evidence, as he wound up his Grade 1 prep under 62kgs topweight over the 1000m straight.
Relaxed just forward of midfield early in the race as Mover And Shaker and Trompie paced it with Rulership out front, Thunderstruck (11-10) ghosted through down the inside with Strydom just using the hands.
With the race still not wound up inside the final 50m, Strydom almost casually moved up to pip Clint Binda’s smart 3yo Ziyasha (10-1) on the post, to win by a head in a time of 56,56 secs.
In a race that will have the Ridgemont team smiling, their powerhouse Redoute’s Choice stallion Rafeef sired the first, second and fourth (Move And Shaker) home.
A BSA Online Auction recordbreaker at R1 241 000 as part of the Javett Dispersal, the Avontuur-bred Thunderstruck was originally acquired for R1 million BSA National Yearling Sale in 2021 by Form Bloodstock.
He is out of the Gr2 winning Var mare, Varikate.
Thunderstruck has now 8 races with 7 places from his 18 starts for stakes of R2 541 938.
Thunderstruck is likely to have his penultimate start in the Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint on 1 June – a race where he was beaten by the top-class Gimme A Prince in 2023. As a 2yo, Thunderstruck won the Gr1 Gold Medallion on the same day.
He will stand the new season at Ridgemont.
Gavin Lerena enjoyed a great day at the office, riding four winners.
