Graduates of Bloodstock South Africa dominated graded race action in South Africa this past weekend, with BSA buys claiming both graded races run at Turffontein on Saturday and the Bloodstock South Africa graduate Trip Of Fortune awarded victory in Saturday’s G3 Hollywoodbets Matchem Stakes at Hollywoodbets Durbanville.
Progressive filly Humdinger claimed her biggest win to date when making much of the running to win Saturday’s G2 Topbet Joburg Spring F&M Challenge (1450m) run on the Turffontein Inside track. Under a perfectly judged ride from inform rider JP Van Der Merwe, the four-year-old daughter of What A Winter kept finding more in the closing stages to beat her fast finishing stablemate Desert Miracle by a neck.
Trained by Mike de Kock, Humdinger provided the International Racing Club (who own Humdinger in partnership with Mike de Kock and Mr Nagendran) with their biggest win in racing to date.
One of two graded race winners bred by Ridgemont Highlands on Saturday, four-year-old Humdinger was a R180 000 buy from the 2020 National 2YO Sale. The filly, who has won her last three races in a row, is a daughter of What A Winter and the stakes winning Fort Wood mare Himalayan Hill, which makes Humdinger a full-sister to last season’s Listed Milkwood Stakes heroine Glacier Gold.
The Ridgemont Highlands bred William Robertson provided Bloodstock South Africa with yet another graded win when he ran out a courageous winner of the G2 Topbet Mike O’Connor Spring Challenge (1450m) on Saturday. The son of Ridgemont’s sensational sire Rafeef was given a superb ride by replacement rider Muzi Yeni, with the latter keeping his mount going strongly in the closing stages to stay on and win by a neck. Four-year-old William Robertson, who is trained by Corne Spies for Rob Macnab, Keegan Govender, Xander Spies, Corne Spies Racing (Pty) Ltd, and Waste Glass Recovery (Pty) Ltd, has now won six of 18 starts, with the gelding having also triumphed in last season’s G3 Tony Ruffel Stakes.
Excitingly, William Robertson has a full-sister on offer at this year’s November Two Year Old Sale -and she looks set to attract plenty of attention!
Trip Of Fortune provided his champion sire Trippi with a fourth success at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday when he was promoted to first place in the G3 Hollywoodbets Matchem Stakes (1400m). The winner of last season’s G3 Cape Classic, and one of two graded stakes winners at Durbanville on Saturday for both trainer Candice Bass-Robinson and owner-breeder Drakenstein Stud, the classy four-year-old fought out a stirring finish with Silver Operator, which saw Trip Of Fortune promoted to first following the winner’s disqualification. Knocked down at R750 000 at the 2020 National Yearling Sale, Trip Of Fortune, a stakes winner at two, three and four, has now won six of just 11 starts with the gelding unbeaten in three starts at Durbanville.
The well bred Trip Of Fortune is out of the top-class racemare Louvre, with that daughter of Doowaley winning ten races including the G2 Tibouchina Stakes.
