Bloodstock South Africa sold thoroughbreds have had another fantastic year in 2024, and BSA alumni were to the fore, once again, at Turffontein on Saturday.
BSA graduates Fatal Flaw, Moonlight Trader and Poets Warrior won all of the G3 HSH Princess Charlene Starling Stakes, G3 Betway Graham Beck Stakes and Listed Allied Steelrode Java Stakes to provide Bloodstock South Africa with an impressive hatrick of feature race victories.
Promising three-year-old filly Fatal Flaw showed her class when running away to win the Starling Stakes as she liked. Under a masterful ride from Piere Strydom, the daughter of the late New Predator was sent to the front early on and stayed there.
From there, the Crawford trained three-year-old pulled further and further clear, with Fatal Flaw going on the win the 2024 HSH Princess Charlene Starling Stakes by an impressive two and a quarter lengths.
Runner up in both the G1 Douglas Whyte Thekwini Stakes and G2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper last season, the Laurence Wernars bred Fatal Flaw was a R210 000 purchase from the 2023 National Yearling Sale.
Owned by the ASSM Racing Syndicate, Fatal Flaw has now won twice from eight starts, with the filly having already amassed R587,750 in prize money.
The Paul Matchett trained Moonlight Trader caused something of a surprise when downing some classy three year olds in Saturday’s Graham Beck Stakes. Given a perfectly timed ride by Philasande Mxoli, the gelding stormed home to pick up his biggest win to date by a short-head.
The 2024 Graham Beck Stakes, a traditional classic race pointer, was a great result for Bloodstock South Africa, with BSA graduates Moonlight Trader, Wolf Mountain and Legend Of Arthur running first, second and third respectively. Bred by Greg Morris’ Big Sky Ranch, Moonlight Trader has won three of ten starts, and earned R406,437, for Matthew and Anthony Kapnias.
A R225 000 buy off the 2023 National Yearling Sale, Moonlight Trader is a son of Erupt and the winning Silvano mare Dalaal. The latter, very closely related to champion Nebraas, is a great granddaughter of mighty racemare and producer Miesque.
Yet another Bloodstock South Africa graduate to pick up a feature race at Turffontein on Saturday was Poets Warrior. The Michael and Adam Azzie trained gelding made it four wins from his last five starts and registered his maiden stakes success when landing the Java Stakes by an emphatic three and a quarter lengths.
Bred by Ambiance Stud, five-year-old Poets Warrior has now won five times and has earned R377 125. Owned by Messrs G W Mackintosh & Justus van Wyk, the inform Poets Warrior was a R180 000 buy from the 2021 National Yearling Sale.
Poets Warrior is a Wylie Hall half-brother to five winners including G2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper winner Cockney Pride.
