Princess Calla wins Gr2 Cartier Sceptre

Wilgerbosdrift’s inform resident sire Flower Alley has sired a truly top-class daughter in the form of Princess Calla.
The latter claimed the sixth graded win of her career when she ran out an impressive winner of the G2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes (1200m), run at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
Remarkably, it was a fourth consecutive graded win for Princess Calla, whose three previous triumphs had come in the G2 wsb.co.za Southern Cross Stakes, G1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes and G3 Prix Du Cap respectively.
Now in the care of Sean Tarry, five-year-old Princess Calla was always up with the pace in Saturday’s 1200m sprint for fillies and mares, and stayed on gamely to post a three-parts of a length.
Bred by Maine Chance Farms, Princess Calla is out of the Captain Al mare Princess Royal.
She has now won or been placed in 16 of her 17 starts and has earned more than R2.173 million in stakes.
Princess Calla is one of five G1 winners and 33 stakes winners for Flower Alley thus far. A son of Distorted Humor, Flower Alley is having another fine season in 2022-2023 and is currently ninth on the South African General Sires List.
Flower Alley is also broodmare sire of dual G1 winner Cyberknife, who has been invited to the 2023 G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational.

Make It Snappy Makes It Two Gr1 Wins

The Ridgemont Highlands’ team’s dream run in the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Summer Racing Festival continued at a sun-drenched Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday when the champion nursery’s homebred Make It Snappy, a daughter of the outstanding Dynasty, made it a glorious Grade 1 back-to-back strike with an eyecatching victory in the Cartier Paddock Stakes.

Just a month ago Make It Snappy had pulverized a high-class field of her contemporaries to win the WSB Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas.

Over 200m further on Saturday, she delivered much the same kind of dazzling performance – except this time beating her illustrious elders, including reigning SA Horse Of The Year Captain’s Ransom, as well as 2022 Hollywoodbets Durban July heroine Sparkling Water and SA Triple Tiara princess, Rain In Holland.

Ridden by regular pilot Luyola Mxothwa, Make It Snappy did things the way she loves –out front with her enormous elastic stride and dictating matters – before kicking on again to thwart a late challenge from the highly accomplished Captain’s Ransom.

This was Make It Snappy’s fourth win – including three features –  from her five starts, and she is proudly being hailed in the top echelon of 3yo fillies in South Africa this term.

“Make It Snappy really is an exciting prospect. When she cantered to post for the Cartier Gr1 Paddock Stakes on Saturday, she gave me goosebumps. The way she came back was equally impressive and there were some serious big hitters behind her! She ticks all the boxes and has a very bright future. It’s a privilege and pleasure for us to race these high calibre Ridgemont Highlands bred horses and to be competitive at the elite level,” added Hollywood Syndicate Racing Manager Anthony Delpech, a former champion jockey who has been associated with top horses across the globe.

For the powerful Ridgemont Highlands team it has been a summer to remember – and it’s not over yet.

The Robertson nursery of champions have produced a galaxy of stars from breeding best-to-best with quality international and local bloodlines and are now reaping the rewards. In a month, they have celebrated a dual Gr1 winner and a top two finish in the R400 000 Ridgemont Highlands Gr2 Peninsula Handicap, all products of their iconic late champion, Dynasty.

“Grade 1 achievement is the benchmark of excellence by which the Ridgemont Highlands team is measured and we are proud and thrilled to have shouted Make It Snappy home on what is one of the great racing days on the South African calendar. The enormous legacy left by Dynasty in the lovely fillies and mares that the farm still owns has been underscored once again. We congratulate the Hollywood Syndicate and it’s a true privilege to join hands with likeminded passionate racing folk in a quest to win the big ones,” said Ridgemont’s Craig Carey.

Make It Snappy is a supplementary entry for the WSB Cape Town Met.

Rascallion Wins Premier Trophy

Maine Chance Farms’ outstanding sire Vercingetorix came up with his 23rd stakes winner when his high-class son Rascallion won the G2 Anthonij Rupert Wyne Premier Trophy (1800m) run at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
It was a fairy tale win for Rascallion, with the five-year-old having suffered a potentially career ending suspensory injury earlier in his career, and Rascallion was making just his third start following a layoff on Saturday.
Looking a picture in the pre-race parade, the Vaughan Marshall trained Rascallion was given a superbly judged ride by Corne Orffer to claim the 2023 Premier Trophy.
Orffer tracked the front runners early on, before hitting the front 300m from home. Despite facing a wall of challenges, Rascallion kept finding more gamely in the closing stages to claim his biggest win to date by a long neck.
One of three runners in the 2023 Premier Trophy sired by Vercingetorix, Rascallion hails from the second crop of his sire, with this crop having also produced millionaire Seeking The Stars and G1 Allan Robertson Championship winner Vernichey.

Bred by Veronique Kritzinger, Rascallion has now won four of 16 starts for earnings of R917 525.
The gelding had shown top-class form earlier in the career, with Rascallion finishing runner up in both the G1 Jonsson Workwear Cape Derby and G1 Daily News 2000 in 2021.
Out of the Jet Master mare Sofala, Rascallion is bred on the same Vercingetorix/Jet Master cross as fellow G1 Daily News 2000 runner up Padre Pio as well as G2 winner African Warrior.
Runner up on the South African General Sires list last season, Vercingetorix is currently second on this season’s log.

Chairmans Cup for La Plaisance Gelding

Drakenstein Stud’s evergreen champion sire Trippi has had a wonderful season in 2022-2023 already, and the son of End Sweep claimed yet more feature race glory when Trippi gelding Crome Yellow won the G3 Merchants On Long Chairman’s Cup, run at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
Successful in the G3 Cape Summer Stayers Handicap in both 2020 and 2021, eight-year-old Crome Yellow made a mockery of his 33-1 starting price with a convincing win in Saturday’s R250 000 feature.
Under a shrewd ride from Grant Van Niekerk, the Andre Nel trained gelding was taken to the outside of the Kenilworth track and kept galloping resolutely to post a one length win, while conceding 2kgs to runner up Senso Unico.
Bred and owned by Sabine Plattner, Crome Yellow has now 10 of 37 starts for earnings of R952 163.
The gelding is out of the Jallad mare Senorita Sol.
His sire, South Africa’s Champion Sire of 2015-2016, went close to having more big race success on Saturday with Trippi’s sons Charles Dickens and Jet Dark finishing second and third respectively in the G1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate.
Crome Yellow is one of 89 stakes winners for Trippi, who is currently sixth on the South African General Sires List.