The Nadeson Park Stud-bred Got The Greenlight confirmed himself up with the best in the country at Turffontein Standside on Saturday when toying with the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge field in good to soft conditions.
Got The Greenlight was not affected by the pace as he relaxes well in the running and has a peerless turn of foot.
For the second time in succession, both of them in Grade 1 races, he sauntered effortlessly into the lead. He has the tendency to take his foot off the pedal when hitting the front so having taken the lead as far out as the 200m mark he was going to be vulnerable late. Second Base, who ensured a one-two for sire Gimmethegreenlight, had sat behind the winner in the running and although he could not match his initial turn of foot, he produced a terrific finish to be beaten just three-quarters of a length. It was a fine VDJ trial.
Cirillo (Pomodoro – Riverton Stud) stayed on from second in the running for third, his eighth Grade 1 place and tenth Grade 1 cheque.
In the Grade 1 4Racing Computaform Sprint the Justin Snaith-trained Rio Querari (Querari – Normandy Stud) went some way to securing the Equus Champion Sprinter title with his first Grade 1 weight for age win of the season. He relaxed superbly in the running before displaying his devastating turn of foot. Not even a traditionally unfavourable low draw could stop him and he made his winning run under Grant van Niekerk on the inside of horses.
Mike Azzie has called Sheela the best filly he has trained since Harry’s Charm and she gave new sire The United States a boost by winning the Grade 2 4Racing SA Nursery over 1160m by a length under S’Manga Khumalo from another fine prospect, Smorgasbord, with the rest of the field unsighted.
The Grade 2 4Racing SA Fillies Nursery was won by the hard knocking Paul Peter-trained Soft Falling Rain filly Heaven’s Girl (Ndoro Stud) under Warren Kennedy.
The Peter yard also won the 4Racing Grade 2 Gerald Rosenberg Stakes over 2000m. The Where’s That Tiger three-year-old filly Netta (Oldlands Stud), ridden by Kennedy, romped home by six lengths.
The Grade 2 4Racing Camellia Stakes as won in scintillating style by the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained What A Winter filly Celestial Love (Hemel N Aarde Stud) under Gavin Lerena to give owner Laurence Wernars his first success in a memorable day (he also owns Netta and Second Base).
The most courageous performance of the day was put in by the St. John Gray-trained Judpot gelding Don’t Look Back (Varsfontein Stud) who kept on finding extra under pressure to beat Smoking Hot in the Grade 3 4Racing Gold Bowl, although he did later have to survive an objection.
-extract goldcircle.co.za
