Bloodstock South Africa sold thoroughbreds dominated the feature race action at Turffontein on Saturday.
Star colt Malmoos land Saturday’s G2 World Sports Betting Gauteng Guineas, brilliant filly War Of Athena showed her class when winning the same day’s G2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas, and speedy filly True To Life trumped some very smart sorts when she won Saturday’s G3 Wilgerbosdrift Tommy Hotspur Handicap.
The Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum owned Malmoos, the second top priced lot sold off the 2019 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale, showed his class when running out a game winner of Saturday’s Gauteng Guineas.
Given a fine ride by recent Met winning jockey Luke Ferraris, the Varsfontein Stud bred colt made it five wins from just six starts when holding off fellow BSA graduate Catch Twentytwo to win the 2021 Gauteng Guineas by a neck.
Remarkably the first three home in the Gauteng Guineas -Malmoos, Catch Twentytwo and Copper Mountain are all Bloodstock South Africa sales graduates.
Trained by Mike de Kock, Malmoos, previously victorious in both the G2 Avontuur Estate Concorde Cup and G3 Palacebet.co.za Live Games Graham Beck Stakes, was a R4 400 000 buy from the 2019 National Sale. The son of deceased champion sire Captain Al and Spook Express Handicap winner Justthewayyouare is a full-brother to G3 East Cape Derby/G3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup winner Captain Splendid, with Malmoos’ dam being a half-sister to Varsfontein’s increasingly successful sire Master Of My Fate.
War Of Athena. Image: Candiese Lenferna
Star filly War Of Athena, a bargain R30 000 buy from the 2019 Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale, picked up her third consecutive graded stakes win when downing Equus Champion, and fellow BSA graduate, Anything Goes, to land Saturday’s G2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas. (Miss Elegance, who ran third in the 2021 Gauteng Fillies Guineas, was bought back at the 2019 Ready To Run Sale by her owner Peter van Schoor).
Bred by Summerhill Stud, the Paul Matchett trained War Of Athena powered home, under Muzi Yeni, to land the first leg of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara by two lengths. Owned by Mr Roy Wentzel and Dr Rose Waterman-Wentzel, War Of Athena came into Saturday’s race having landed the G2 WSB Ipi Tombe Challenge and G3 Three Troikas Stakes at her two previous starts.
From the first crop of Cape Guineas winning sire Act Of War, War Of Athena is out of the Requiem mare Qaphela, herself a half-sister to two stakes winners, and further back, this is the family of G1 Gold Cup winner Desert Links.
True To Life became the third Bloodstock South Africa graduate to land a graded race on Saturday when she came with a late rattle to win the G3 Wilgerbosdrift Tommy Hotspur Handicap in dramatic fashion. The Johan Janse van Vuuren trained four-year-old claimed her second graded feature race win when powering home, under Gavin Lerena, to land the Tommy Hotspur Handicap by a head.
Remarkably the first four home in the Tommy Hotspur – True To Life, Winter Stories, Bohica and Winter Smoke are all Bloodstock South Africa graduates.
Bred by the Northfields Stud, True To Life (who races for the Wernars family) was a R180 000 buy from the 2018 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale.
The daughter of Duke Of Marmalade has now six wins to her name, from 15 starts, with True To Life’s latest win pushing her earnings to R607 375. The blue blooded True To Life was produced by the multiple stakes winning Medaglia D’Oro mare Mina Salaam, herself a half-sister to G1 Premier’s Champions Challenge winner Deo Juvente.
