On a terrific historic day for South African racing, 19 year old former SA Champion apprentice Luke Ferraris added the SA Triple Crown trophy to his Cape Town Met silverware when Malmoos sauntered home to bank the R2 million bonus in the R750 000 World Sports Betting Gr1 SA Derby at Turffontein.
Malmoos put the cherry on top of the smashing War Of Athena’s success earlier to write their names into the history books as the first of both sexes to win the series on the same afternoon.
And in the end, they both stayed – even if the girls’ 2450m was won in 1,23 secs faster!
Luke Ferraris steers Malmoos to a facile historic win (Pic – JC Photos)
The Avontuur-sponsored Ferraris became the youngest jockey to win the SA Triple Crown as he partnered multiple champion Mike de Kock in the master trainer’s personal third strike overall – Igugu (2013 SA Triple Tiara) and Horse Chestnut (1999 SA Triple Crown) being his previous successes in both series.
But the moment belonged to the Varsfontein-bred Malmoos, who made it 7 wins from 8 starts and joined the honour roll of Horse Chestnut, Louis The King (2014) and Abashiri (2016).
Relaxed in midfield off a muddling gallop, Ferraris brought Malmoos around the stragglers as he steered him out wide at the 450m marker.
With 250m to go, Malmoos (7-10) was on his way to stardom and he drew clear to beat the game Pamushana’s Pride (18-1) – bidding gallantly to emulate his Dad Louis The King – by 5,25 lengths in a time of 157,61 secs.
Second Base (7-2) was given every chance but just didn’t go on with it and was beaten a neck into third.
Malmoos has won 7 of his 8 starts – his sole blank remains the puzzling Cape Guineas unplaced effort.
He has now earned R1 487 100 – excluding the R2 million bonus.
A full brother to the dual Group-winning stayer Captain Splendid, Malmoos by Captain Al (Al Mufti) out of the Spook Express Handicap winner Justthewayyouare, a half-sister to Varsfontein’s boom sire Master Of My Fate.
The second top lot at R4,4 million sold off the 2019 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale, Malmoos races in the familiar silks of the recently deceased Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum.
De Kock has indicated that Malmoos is not overseas-bound and is likely to eventually take up stallion duties on SA soil.
