Bloodstock South Africa celebrated another G1 victory on Saturday when BSA graduate Quickstepgal scored an emotional win in the G1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas (1600m) at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
In landing Saturday’s R1 250 000 feature, Quickstepgal, a R450 000 purchase from the 2024 KZN Yearling Sale, provided her trainer Tienie Prinsloo with his first G1 success. The Greenacres Trust bred three-year-old was given a superb ride by champion jockey Gavin Lerena to win the Fillies Guineas. Lerena wasted no time in taking Quickstepgal to the front, and the pair kept galloping strongly in front to win by three-parts of a length. BSA buys Quickstepgal, Wish List and Princess Of Gaul finished 1-3-4 in the Cape Fillies Guineas to provide Bloodstock South Africa with a near clean sweep of this prestigious classic. Racing for the Wernars Family and Harry Willson, Quickstepgal has won five of eight starts, with her maiden G1 victory pushing the filly’s earnings to R1 259 939. A 14th G1 winner for her champion sire Vercingetorix (himself a National Yearling Sale purchase), Quickstepgal is out of the Jet Master mare Victoriana. The latter, a half-sister to champion Hammie’s Hooker and dual graded stakes winner Gem King, won three times and ran second in the G3 Champagne Stakes.
Quickstepgal was one of two Bloodstock South Africa purchases (both sired by Vercingetorix) to win feature races at Kenilworth on Saturday.
Top-class stayer Holding Thumbs, a R1 100 000 buy from the 2022 August Two Year Old Sale, dug down deep to make it back to back wins in Saturday’s Listed WSB Club Prive Cape Summer Stayers Handicap. In landing Saturday’s feature race for Glen Kotzen and Chad Little, the classy five-year-old just held off fellow BSA graduate Ahead Of The Facts to win by a short-head. Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, Holding Thumbs races for Messrs P Bamford, D D MacLean & Gary Player Stud Farm (Pty) Ltd, Mrs J Doyle & Mr L S & Mrs Rayna Govender. Now an eight time winner from 25 starts with earnings of R1 217 645, Holding Thumbs also finished runner up in all of the G3 Tote Derby, G3 Durban Gold Vase and G3 World Pool Gold Cup last season. The gelding is out of the Fort Wood mare Withbatedbreath, a three time winner who finished runner up in the Listed Oaks Trial.
Asiye Phambili, the speedy consistent daughter of What A Winter bred by Hemel ‘n Aarde Stud powered her way to victory in the Gr3 WSB Southern Cross Stakes for Hollywood Racing. Relocated from Duncan Howells to Lucinda Woodruff for the Cape Season, Asiye Phambili has won 9 times and was unlucky last season to come within a nose of a Gr1 win from Mia Moo, in the Gr1 South African Fillies Sprint. She is a half sister to four other Black Types including Ollivander.
