Alan Greeff’s Fire Away gelding My Best Shot made it four wins on the trot when winning the R250 000 Bryanston Auctioneers Listed East Cape Guineas at Fairview on Friday and now looks a shoo-in for top honours in the 2025 Nelson Mandela Bay Racing Sophomore Challenge.
My Best Shout makes it four on the trot under Richard Fourie as Waheed pops his head into the frame (Pic – Pauline Herman)
A winner of the first leg Ibhayi Stakes in February, after today’s facile doddle the gelding looks tough to stop in the R350 000 World Sports Betting Listed East Cape Derby run over 2400m on Friday 9 May, when he can bank the R250 000 ‘Triple Crown’ bonus.
On a great day when R420 000 was raised by racing folk to boost the coffers of the East Cape Horse Care Unit, Richard Fourie and Alan Greeff registered a feature double as East Cape Horse Of The Year prospect My Best Shot (5-10) romped home to account for recent Mike de Kock transferee Waheed (14-1) by 1,25 lengths in a time of 96,89 secs.
The winner’s fairer sex stablemate Splicethemainbrace (9-2) was a further 1,50 lengths away in third, in what was a disappointingly small field of just six runners.
Today’s victory was a year-on-year double for the Greeff-Fourie combination after earlier East Cape Sprint Cup winner Fairy Knight’s success last year.
Bred by Varsfontein Stud, My Best Shot has won eight of 14 starts, with the gelding’s latest win taking his earnings to R631 725.
A son of War Front stallion Fire Away, My Best Shot, who is out of the Fort Wood mare Gypsy Madonna, was a R120 000 buy from the 2023 Cape Yearling Sale.
His Gr3 Dixie Stakes winning sire has had a wonderful few weeks, with Fire Away responsible for the first two home in the TAB Gr1 SA Classic, as well as impressive recent Cape Racing Sale Cape Slipper winner Military Command.
Fire Away has ten lots on offer at the National Yearling Sale, including a filly (Lot 224) closely inbred to War Front.
Richard Fourie and Alan Greeff won four of the eight races on the card.
