Gauteng-based Craig Zackey and trainer Adam Marcus, one of the youngest combinations in action on the opening day of the Cape Summer Season, hogged the limelight at Kenilworth on Saturday with a terrific feature double that set them up for plenty of exciting times in the weeks ahead.

A traditional prep platform for the Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the Sun Met, the R350 000 World Sports Betting  Gr2 Green Point Stakes hosted a typically small field – but with a Queen’s Plate and dual July victor and a Met winner in the line-up, it oozed quality.

Returning from a six month break after his dazzling Gr3 Winter Classic victory in May, and during which time he had a knee chip removed, the Var 4yo Vardy, a versatile and relatively lightly exposed winner from 1200m to 1800m, produced a resolute finishing effort to get the better of contemporary One World to score an eyecatching victory by a length in a time of 97,46 secs.

Expecting to be in need of the run, Craig Zackey was instructed to drop Vardy out and let him enjoy the outing – with the general idea of running on into the place money hopefully, and a win being very much a bonus.

Bred by the Tawny Syndicate, Vardy is out of the unraced Jet Master mare Cupid.

He is a son of Avontuur’s superstar flagbearer Var (Forest Wildcat).

A Sun Met entry Vardy races in the bright yellow and royal blue flag of Bernard Kantor, who owns him in partnership with Greg Blank, Jimmy Sarkis and Darryl Yutar.

He has now won 5 races with 3 places from 8 starts for stakes of R1 364 700.

Bloodstock South Africa graduate Missisippi Burning gave Adam his first Gr1 winner, and showing her class, when romping home to a facile and hugely impressive win in the G1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Bred by Rathmor Stud, the three-year-old daughter of Captain Al was given a superb ride by Craig Zackey, who bought his mount with a strong late challenge down the inside of the track before the pair bounded clear to post a facile three length win.

The 2019 Cape Fillies Guineas was a cleansweep for BSA sold horses, with Bloodstock South Africa graduates Missisippi Burning, Driving Miss Daisy, Third Runway and Laurentina running 1-2-3-4 respectively!

The Mario Ferreira owned Missisippi Burning was also his first G1 success, and with a second graded race triumph on Saturday.

Now a winner of four of only seven races (she has won her last three in a row), the diminutive Missisippi Burning was a R380 000 buy from the 2018 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale, and Saturday’s triumph took the filly’s earnings to R794 052.

A third Cape Fillies Guineas winner for deceased champion sire Captain Al, Missisippi Burning is out of the stakes placed Hussonet mare Spitfire Lady –who won four times up to 1600 metres and who ran second in the Listed Flying Handicap.

-sportingpost.co.za/bsa.co.za