“He’s phenomenal,” said trainer Vaughan Marshall of One Stripe after the 3YO caused a sensation when winning the L’Ormarins Kings Plate (WFA) Gr 1 over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
When asked what the remarkable son of One World’s key attributes are, Marshall responded without hesitation, “It’s his speed, and that he’s got gears – jockey Gavin Lerena will confirm that…”
For much of the long straight it looked like One Stripe would fall short as Gimme A Prince moved up menacingly to challenge a forging MONTIEN. But neither could withstand the dramatic 22.9 second late rush that Lerena summoned from the gear-shifting ONE STRIPE who started as the popular 11/10 favourite. The winner’s final time was 97.63 seconds.
The winner was bred at Drakenstein Stud and is out of the Silvano mare, Silver Stripe. He has now won six of eight starts, including the Punters Cup, Cape Guineas (Gr 1), and now this prestigious cross-generational Gr 1 WFA mile showdown since mid-November.
That’s a busy campaign, so Marshall will most likely duck the World Sports Betting Cape Town MET and instead target a lucrative R5 million incentive race later in the Cape Summer season for this truly outstanding three-year-old.
Montien emerged with honour in defeat. Getting over from draw 12, pressing the pace and fighting all the way to the line was a performance of class and determination from the humbly bred son of Louis the King, trained by Piet Botha. He massively outran his starting price of 75/1.
Gimme A Prince also did well to secure third spot. Troubled by physical issues and requiring tender handling, he may just have run out of puff the last part as he was stretched to his limit in the eight-furlong contest.
Royal Aussie rounded out the quartet, 4.5 lengths off Marshall’s coveted L’Ormarins King’s Plate Gr 1 hero, One Stripe.
Rascallion (Vercingetorix) has enjoyed back to back Graded Stakes wins since return from injury, and his win on Saturday in the Gr2 Anthonij Rupert Wyne Premier Trophy was exemplary, the 7yo Vercingetorix gelding bred by Dr Kritzinger won this race in 2023. It was the start of a feature double for the stable of Vaughan Marshall.
Double Grand Slam. Image: Candiese Lenferna
In Race 6, Richard Fourie sat for as long as possible before unleashing Bloodstock South Africa graduate Double Grand Slam with a devastating late move to win the Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes (for fillies and mares at WFA) over 1800m.
As expected, the early pace was set by tearaway Lavender Bay with Rascova, Red Palace and Little Suzie stretched out in Indian file. Fourie had the daughter of Vercingetorix settled some way off the action, tracking Saartjie up the straight before weaving past tiring rivals and drawing off for a resounding score with an impressive 23.3 second 400m finish sectional. The final time was 109.86 seconds.
“I didn’t even need to use the crop – she won so easily”, a suitably impressed Fourie said afterwards.
Red Palace was game to attend such a hot pace and still keep on, but she drifted outwards as she tired and could not match Double Grand Slam’s come-home sectional. The same applied to Rascova, who held third from Rainbow Lorikeet.
Double Grand Slam is trained by Justin Snaith. The conditioner was confident as one can be going into hard-to-win Gr 1s, describing her as enjoying a “near-perfect prep and being in super shape.”
That assessment proved prophetic as the Varsfontein Stud bred filly attained her 7th and most significant win from 15 starts. In so doing the 33/20 favourite proved conclusively that she can carry her brilliance in a hard run, nine-panel test.
Hollywood Racing enjoyed a phenomenal win from Hemel ‘N Aarde Stud-bred Asiye Phambili (What A Winter) in the Gr2 Cartier Sceptre Stakes. Ridden by Richard Fourie, the filly trained by Duncan Howells in KZN and Gareth Van Zyl in the Cape, was the start of a feature double for Van Zyl. The five year old mare recorded her eighth career victory, and finished second in this race last year to October Morn.
Asiye Phambili. Image: Candiese Lenferna
Gareth Van Zyl had a wonderful day on Saturday, winning a pair of graded races including the G3 Glorious Goodwood Chairman’s Cup with King Pelles.
The Drakenstein Stud bred four-year-old caught the eye when storming home, under a well judged ride from Athandiwe Mgudlwa, to account for fellow Bloodstock South Africa graduate Holding Thumbs by a length and three quarters in Saturday’s 2500m contest.
Bloodstock South Africa alumni King Pelles, Holding Thumbs, Mucho Dinero made it a clean sweep for BSA as they filled the first three placings in Saturday’s Chairman’s Cup. Owned by Lucky Vest 12 CC (Nom: Mr Ravi Padayachee), Messrs Dave MacLean, Gary Player and N V Parmanand, King Pelles was a R475 000 buy from the 2022 National Yearling Sale.
Now a four time winner, with R493,987 in earnings, King Pelles is a son of Drakenstein’s late sire, and former Cartier Champion, Duke Of Marmalade.
The gelding, who is out of the stakes placed Galileo mare Grail Maiden, is a half-brother to four winners notably G1 SA Derby winner Hero’s Honour.
