It was a clean sweep of graded races for Bloodstock South Africa alumni at Turffontein on Saturday, with BSA buys Rollwiththepunches, Lady Of Power and Eye Of The Prophet all winning their respective races.
The Paul Matchett trained Eye Of The Prophet provided champion apprentice Rachel Venniker with her first Grade 2 winner when he ran out a courageous winner of Saturday’s R1 000 000 G2 World Sports Betting Gauteng Guineas. Despite being interfered with in the closing stages by runner up, and fellow BSA graduate, Royal Victory, Eye Of The Prophet held on gamely to claim his biggest win to date by a short-head.
Bred by Patricia Devine Investments (Pty) Ltd, the ultra consistent Eye Of The Prophet has won or finished second in each of his last six starts. Now a four time winner from 12 starts, Eye Of The Prophet took his earnings to R884 500 with his Gauteng Guineas win. The gelding, a R200 000 buy from the 2021 National Yearling Sale, races for Matthew and Anthony Kapnias.
Eye Of The Prophet, whose champion sire Gimmethegreenlight has three lots on offer at this month’s Cape Yearling Sale, is out of the Fort Wood mare Umlilo -a winning full-sister to G2 Midmar Premier Trophy victor Cask.
Bloodstock South Africa sold thoroughbreds also ran 1-2-3 in Saturday’s G2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas, with Lady Of Power beating Feather Boa and Remy into second and third place respectively.
Under a terrific ride from Piere Strydom, the Joe Soma trained Lady Of Power went out to make all and she kept finding in the closing stages to land the Fillies Guineas by a neck.
Bred by James Armitage, Lady Of Power was a R175 000 buy from the 2021 National Yearling Sale. The filly has now won three of six starts for owners Kisten Pillay Racing Syndicate, MGAS Bloodstock(Nom G A Soma),PowerOf5 Syndicate & Messrs D Chinsammy,R G Coppin & E Naicker.
A daughter of Varsfontein Stud’s homebred sire Master Of My Fate (who has four yearlings on offer at the 2023 Cape Yearling Sale), Lady Of Power is out of the unplaced Fort Wood mare Duchess Delight whose previous runners include G3 Final Fling Stakes third placegetter Glamourous Life.
Trainer Roy Magner performed a masterful job when sending out the Summerhill Stud bred Rollwiththepunches to claim Saturday’s G3 World Sports Betting Tommy Hotspur Stakes.
The gelded four-year-old, a R160 000 buy from the 2020 National Yearling Sale, was making his first start since the end of July when he made all to win the 2023 Tommy Hotspur Stakes.
Under a clever ride from Denis Schwarz, Rollwiththepunches made it four wins in a row when staying on gamely to hold off a fast finishing Far Away Winter and win by a neck.
A son of Cape Guineas winner Act Of War, Rollwiththepunches (winning his first graded race on Saturday) has now won six of 19 starts for owners Malcolm Cruickshank and Steve Leahy.
The gelding is out of the stakes placed, five time winning Russian Revival mare Lady Red, who also ranks as the dam of 2018 G3 Tommy Hotspur runner up, and millionaire, Greasepaint.
