The Barend Botes-trained Lance filly Quid Pro Quo overcame enormous odds to make it five in a row and galloped her way into the history books with a breathtaking victory in the R1 million Gr1 Douglas Whyte Stakes on World Pool Gold Cup day.
Formerly raced as The Thekwini Stakes, the mile contest produced what surely must be the World Pool Moment Of The Day, or even of the 2023/24 racing season, as the Gerald Kalil-homebred by unheralded Jet Master sire Lance, made history by becoming the first filly to win all of the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship over 1200m, the Gr 2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper over 1400m and Sunday’s Gr 1 over a mile.
Quid Pro Quo (Smanga Khumalo) wins the fairytale feature of the season (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
And she did it from the widest draw, with a variation of her standard racing tactics, after spreading a shoe en route to the start, and having both her front shoes removed prior to the race!
Positioned a few lengths off the pace set by Frozen Fantasy and Sorceress Supreme, the brilliant Quid Pro Quo sliced down the inside centre in the run for home. But the evergreen Piere Strydom looked to spoil the party as Fatal Flaw stayed with her.
Smanga Khumalo wasn’t panicking though and he got Quid Pro Quo (11-10) to lift as she galloped on to put 1,40 lengths between herself and the 7-1 Fatal Flaw in a time of 96,14 secs.
The 100-1 pacemaker Frozen Fantasy stayed on for third 2,90 lengths back, with World Of Alice (8-1) making up the quartet.
The removal of the shoes at the start was a racing nightmare story in the making – imagine the outcry had she got beaten!
Podium power! Dean Sawarjith (Commercial Executive Gold Circle), Sam Nati (Commingling Head HKJC) and Gerald and Karen Kalil enjoy the trophy (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Trainer Barend Botes, who made the extraordinary brave call to remove the shoes (he thought all 4 were coming off!), has mostly had to buy horses in training for thirty years. And now he has shown what he can do with a really outstanding 2yo.
“Zola Budd also ran without shoes. God made Quid Pro Quo a little better than the rest. Smanga got her into position from the draw. I don’t know how. What a team I have. What an owner in Gerald Kalil,” quipped Botes.
A daughter of the Heuningsfontein-based Jet Master stallion Lance, Quid Pro Quo is raced and was bred by Gerald Kalil out of the five-time winning daughter of The Sheik, Delightful Diva.
She was offered at the 2023 KZN Yearling Sale by Summerhill Equestrian and was bought back for just R60 000 by her breeder.
Now a winner of 5 races, including two Grade 1’s, with 2 places from 7 starts, Quid Pro Quo took her earnings to R1 769 000 and looks a certainty to be crowned Equus Champion 2yo Filly next month in Cape Town.
As pointed out by a veteran racing man, this was a unique Grade 1 race in present times, with 13 different stallions represented – but no Gimmethegreenlight or Vercingetorix.
The R2 million carryover Pick 6 pool on the day reached R12 208 989.
Racing needs more great stories like Quid Pro Quo!
