With a timeously improving form graph and a handy twelfth position on the Hollywoodbets Durban July log at the end of May, Johan Janse van Vuuren’s Argentinian-bred Puerto Manzano wrapped up his big race prep with a well-deserved maiden stakes victory in the R250 000 Gr3 WSB Jubilee Stakes at Turffontein on Sunday.
The win by the 4yo son of Seek Again came just 24 hours after stablemate Homely Girl stormed to victory in the East Coast Radio Gr2 Tibouchina Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville for the same combination of trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren, the massively invested Wernars family and jockey Keagan de Melo.
Puerto Manzano (Keagan de Melo) puts his Durban July hand up as he beats Perfect Witness (Muzi Yeni) and Naval Guard (Warren Kennedy) in a thriller (Pic – JC Photos)
On Sunday, Puerto Manzano built on smart Gr1 placed efforts at his last two outings to finally find the winner’s enclosure. The victory was his first since rounding off a hat-trick in a Pinnacle Stakes at Turffontein almost exactly 13 months earlier.
The favourite Naval Guard (18-10) encountered a few traffic issues in the straight and looked to be going on for victory, before being swamped by Puerto Manzano (7-2) and the game filly Perfect Witness (5-1).
In the end only a half length separated the trifecta, with Puerto Manzano getting the verdict over Perfect Witness by 0,45 lengths in a time of 109,21 secs. With his Hollywoodbets Durban July hopes now seemingly dashed, Naval Guard was a short head back in third.
Next of the July candidates, Zillzaal was a well-beaten 4,75 length fourth. The winner’s stablemate Second Base was a short head back in fifth.
A winner of 5 of his 15 starts with 6 places for stakes of R827 350, the Vermaak Equine-purchased Haras Carampangue-bred gelding is a son of Speightstown’s Gr1 Hollywood Derby winning son Seek Again and the two time winning Orpen mare Posera.
Given the fact that Puerto Manzano is clearly maturing as a 4yo, it is likely that we will see him bidding for one of the 18 Hollywoodbets Durban July berths when final declarations fall due at 11h00 on Monday 20 June.
