Sabine Plattner’s homebred Head Honcho punched his Met ticket when he brushed aside his rivals in the 1800m Gr.2 Premier Trophy at Kenilworth.
At the top of the straight, it was clear that jockey Keagan de Melo was sitting on a double handful and given his head, the son of Querari delivered the knockout punch fully 350m out before cruising home by a facile 3.5 lengths.
The five-year-old has hardly missed a beat since February, winning six of his last seven starts, the only blip when fourth in Greyville’s Cup Trial. This was his third Stakes success, to go along with victories in the Gr.3 Betting World 2200 and the Listed Sledgehammer.
Now an eight-time winner, the newly-minted millionaire boasts earnings of R1,049,125.
Head Honcho is the first foal of Gr.2 Odessa Stud Championship runner-up School Captain (Captain Al).
Likewise bred by Mrs Plattner, she is one of six winners from seven runners out of Royal Academy’s Australian-bred daughter She’s An Academic. This is the female line of champion juvenile and sire Fasliyev and the American Gr.1 winners and sires Desert Wine and Menifee.
-Ada Van Der Bent
