Graduates of Bloodstock South Africa sales enjoyed a big weekend this past week, winning a pair of Grade 2 feature races in Turffontein and also landing the Beach Beauty Mile and Betway Cradock Place Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville and Fairview respectively.
Classy gelding Back In Business made it a hatrick of wins when he downed a top-class field to win Saturday’s G2 Betway Joburg Spring Challenge in eye catching fashion. The Joe Soma trained five-year-old was given a finely judged ride by Rachel Venniker, which saw Back In Business storm home down the inside of the track to win convincingly by a length and a half. In the process, the Klawervlei Stud bred gelding accounted for such high-class performers as Gladatorian, William Robertson, Main Defender, and Purple Pitcher. A good winner of this season’s Listed Betway Spring Spree Stakes, the lightly raced Back In Business, a R325 000 buy from the 2021 National Yearling Sale, has won six of 11 outings. The gelding, who races for ANOA (Pty) Ltd, is a son of former G1 Cape Guineas winner William Longsword and the stakes placed Var mare Enchanting Cathy.
Celtic Rumours, a R525 000 purchase from the 2022 Sean Tarry Fast Track Sale, picked up the biggest win of her career when victorious in Saturday’s G2 Betway Joburg Spring F and M Challenge. Despite proving reluctant to load, the Sean Tarry trained five-year-old proved best in Saturday’s R450 000 contest. Under Gavin Lerena, the Peter De Beyer bred mare dug down deep to best promising three-year-old Fiery Pegasus and win by a neck. Owned by Jarryd and Laurence Wernars in partnership with Gary Harvett, the well bred Celtic Rumours has won five of 15 starts and she has earned R659,750 in prize money. Celtic Rumours, a half-sister to the stakes winning fillies Almond Sea and Sarah, is a daughter of Vercingetorix and the winning Dupont mare Sylvie.
Sunday saw the Bloodstock South Africa sold Care Forgot land the Beach Beauty Mile in courageous fashion. The Barend Botes trained filly appeared beaten in Sunday’s Hollywoodbets Greyville contest, but fought back gamely, under a great ride from Rachel Venniker, to win by a short-neck. Bred by Moutonshoek, the Lance Michael owned filly has now won three of seven starts, with Care Forgot victorious in three of her past four starts. Care Forgot, a daughter of Moutonshoek’s promising sire The United States and the unraced Hawk Wing mare Love Unlimited, was a R300 000 purchase off the 2023 August Two Year Old Sale.
The Boland Stud bred Cruise Control is one of the best horses racing in the Eastern Cape at the moment, and the speedy son of Querari made it 13 wins from 22 starts when he won the Betway Cradock Place Stakes at Fairview on Friday afternoon. Louis Mxothwa, unbeaten in six starts on Cruise Control, had an armchair ride in Friday’s 1200m sprint, with the pair storming home to win by an emphatic five and a half lengths. Trained by Gavin Smith, the Hollywood Syndicate owned Cruise Control took his earnings to over R1 000 000 with his latest victory. A gelded son of Querari and the placed Sail From Seattle mare Eurythmics, Cruise Control was a R200 000 purchase from the 2021 National Yearling Sale.
