Not for the first time this year, Bloodstock South Africa sold thoroughbreds came to the fore in graded stakes races over the weekend with BSA purchases Let’s Go Now and Main Defender winning the G3 Mother Russia Stakes and G3 Betway Got The Greenlight Stakes respectively at Turffontein on Saturday.

Classy filly Let’s Go Now, a full-sister to Equus Champion and fellow Bloodstock South Africa buy Bless My Stars, picked up her biggest win to date when victorious in Saturday’s Mother Russia Stakes.
Under a superbly timed ride from S’Manga Khumalo, the Sean Tarry trained three-year-old unleashed a fine turn of foot which saw Let’s Go Now mow down her rivals to claim Saturday’s R300 000 feature by a neck.
The Mother Russia Stakes was a complete triumph for Bloodstock South Africa, with BSA sold fillies Bless My Stars, White Pearl, Mia Moo and Lady Fallon filling the first four placings.
Owned by Kestorm Investments, Let’s Go Now was a R540 000 purchase from the 2022 August Two Year Old Sale.
Bred by Varsfontein Stud, Let’s Go Now, who had finished third in both the G3 Princess Charlene Starling Stakes and G3 Betway Fillies Mile earlier in the season, has now won three of nine starts.
The filly is a daughter of South Africa’s reigning champion sire Gimmethegreenlight and the Silvano sired G3 Victress Stakes winner Star Express.

Star three-year-old Main Defender picked up a third graded win in a row when he romped home in Saturday’s Betway Got The Greenlight Stakes. The Tony Peter trained gelding powered away from his rivals, under a confident Calvin Habib, to score a deceptively easy win by just over a length.
Bred by Jagessar Limited, Main Defender had won the G2 Betway Joburg Spring Challenge and G3 Betway Graham Beck Stakes at his two previous starts, and he has now won six of just seven starts.
Owned by Messrs J J Habib, G, K & M M Nassif, Main Defender took his earnings to over R1 300 000 with his win on Saturday.
A son of Irish champion Pathfork (also sire of this season’s G1 Betway Summer Cup winner Royal Victory), Main Defender is out of the twice winning Judpot mare Alessia, a full-sister to the stakes placed Expedite and closely related to the Judpot sired G1 winner Forest Indigo.
The gelding was knocked down to Tienie Prinsloo for R140 000 at the 2022 Cape Yearling Sale.