Alumni of Bloodstock South Africa sales enjoyed another tremendous weekend this past week, with BSA graduates winning all of G1 World Sports Betting SA Classic, G1 SA Fillies Classic and Listed Europa Point Drum Star Handicap at Turffontein on Saturday.
BSA graduates filled the first three placings in the SA Classic, and also filled the first two spots in the SA Fillies Classic.
Just one day earlier, Bloodstock South Africa buy Ekoria had romped home to a convincing win in the Listed Breeders Guineas to add further gloss to the superb record enjoyed by BSA sold thoroughbreds over the weekend.
Trainer Grant Maroun looks to have a real star on his hands in the form of Anfields Rocket, who became the first G1 winner for his sire Coup De Grace when storming home to win Saturday’s R1 500 000 World Sports Betting SA Classic (1800m).
Under a great ride from Raymond Danielson, Anfields Rocket flew up late to claim the 2023 SA Classic by a length, with fellow BSA graduates Jimmy Don and Billy Bowlegs finishing second and third respectively.
Bred by Klawervlei Stud, Anfields Rocket has now earned R1 351 875 with the promise of plenty more to come.
Anfields Rocket surely rates as one of the great buys of recent times, as he was knocked down to Aegean Racing for just R11 000 at the 2020 July Online Auction.
The Hollywood Syndicate owned three-year-old was winning for a sixth time from just nine starts, with Anfields Rocket having also won this season’s G3 Allied Steelrode Graham Beck Stakes.
The gelding is out of the Galileo mare Milla’s Rocket -whose other progeny include Listed Winter Juvenile Stakes winner Counts Rocket.
Victorious in the 2022 G1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic with subsequent Triple Tiara queen Rain In Holland, Sean Tarry made it back to back SA Fillies Classic wins when he won Saturday’s race with Bless My Stars.
Under a strong ride from former champion jockey S’Manga Khumalo, Bless My Stars beat fellow Bloodstock South Africa buy Feather Boa with the two fighting out a desperate finish to the closing stages of the 2023 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic (1800m).
The Tarry trained filly just managed to beat a game Feather Boa, despite hanging out close home, with Bless My Stars staying on to win by a short-head.
Bred by Varsfontein Stud, the Kestorm Investments owned Bless My Stars was a R250 000 buy from the 2021 National Yearling Sale.
The filly, a close up third in last season’s G1 Thekwini Stakes, has now won three of eight starts and she is the sixth G1 winner for her champion sire Gimmethegreenlight.
Bless My Stars is out of the Silvano mare Star Express, who won six times including the G3 Victress Stakes.
Cheveley Stud are enjoying a wonderful season in 2022-2023 and the Cheveley bred Infinite Wonder added to their tally when he downed some big names to win Saturday’s Listed Drum Star Handicap (1800m) for Gabriel Pieterse, Paul Matchett and Mano Panadram.
A five-year-old gelded son of Cheveley’s former sire Wylie Hall and out of a mare sired by the Cheveley bred champion Argonaut, Infinite Wonder was a R200 000 buy from the 2019 National 2YO Sale.
On Friday, the Maine Chance Farms bred Ekoria, a R260 000 purchase from the 2021 August Two Year Old Sale, claimed the second Listed win of her career when romping home to land the Listed Breeders Guineas at Fairview by an emphatic length and a quarter.
Winner of the 2022 Listed WSB Dahlia Plate, Ekoria has now won four of just nine starts for owners Bradley Ralph and Marc Greene.
Herself a daughter of former Horse Of The Year, and BSA graduate, Futura, Ekoria was produced by the high-class Silvano mare, and Zimbabwe star, Equina.
