Just 48 hours after the Sean Tarry-Drakenstein team won the TAB Gr2 SA Nursery to give our reigning champion sire Gimmethegreenlight his 75th stakes winner courtesy of his daughter Green Diamond, the combination added to the tally when Green Sapphire went all the way to score in the R250 000 Gr3 Umzimkhulu Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Monday.
Green Sapphire (Smanga Khumalo) scores a maiden stakes success as Regeneration (Serino Moodley, outside) and Jeanne Darc (Rachel Venniker, blue cap) try hard (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Just like Saturday winner Green Diamond and Monday runner-up Gimmie’s Countess, Green Sapphire is out of a Trippi mare and thus bred on the same Gimmethegreenlight/Trippi cross as Gr1 winners, Gimme A Prince and She’s A Keeper.
Taking on the well fancied Gimmie’s Countess from the in-form Kannemeyer yard, replacement rider Smanga Khumalo rode a well-judged race from the front to win the 1400m contest in a time of 86,67 secs.
Green Sapphire (7-1) was scoring a maiden stakes success and beat the Kannemeyer runner by 1,10 lengths.
The lightly tried Regeneration (20-1) stayed on well for third, a further 0,30 lengths away.
Bred and raced by Drakenstein, the winner, out of the one-time winner Sapphire Gem, took her tally to 4 wins and 4 places from 8 starst for stakes of R468 063.
Multiple champion sire Gimmethegreenlight has an excellent draft on offer at the National Yearling Sale next week, with his offering including a colt (Lot131) out of Gr2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas heroine Heaps Of Fun, a filly (Lot 225) out of Gr1 SA Oaks winner Pine Princess, and a colt (Lot 274) from the same female line as legendary stallion Dubawi.
