Var Too Good! Sea Cat (Glen Hatt) wallops the boys in the opener on Guineas day
Super stallion Var achieved yet another outstanding feat in what is proving to be a big season for him. Avontuur’s son of Forest Wildcat sired the trifecta in the opening race at Kenilworth on Guineas day.
The Graham Beck Wines Maiden Juvenile Plate run over 1000m saw only six runners jump after Albert’s Fantasy had been withdrawn at the start.
Represented by half the field, Var pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat, despite the order of finish not going the way of the popular betting. In fact the 4-1 about the only filly and easy winner Sea Cat, was the real value and longest priced of the Var trio.
Vaughan Marshal’s Bold Var went off a 4-10 favourite, but after a slightly slow start, the R130 000 purchase was always struggling and it was left to Justin Snaith’s R275 000 Cape Premier Yearling Sale graduate Tour De Var to chase Paul Reeves’ filly Sea Cat home.
She won by 1,75 lengths in a time of 58,56 secs. The favourite was a further 1,50 lengths behind.
To add insult to getting walloped by a girl, the Collingwood Stud bred Sea Cat was the cheapie of the bunch at just R20 000!
Open The Champagne! The winning team celebrate Sea Cat’s win
As trainer Paul Reeves observed, it is a lot easier training winners with well-bred horses.
Sea Cat’s dam Hansea (by Hansel) won in the USA and is a dam of winners in that country, as well as France and Italy.
Ironically Hansea is also the dam of All Is Forgiven, who is trained by the same yard who had the beaten odds-on shot here.
Winning jockey Glen Hatt made it a great return after his recent holiday, and said that the winner was ‘amazingly relaxed’ and that she had given it to him when he had asked. He said that she was one for the notebook and that she could only improve.
Sea Cat runs in the interests of Reeves’ wife, well-known Cape owner Paul Barrett and Gerard O’Brien.
