Horses sold off Bloodstock South Africa sales dominated proceedings on Champions Day, which took place at Turffontein on Saturday.
BSA graduates picked up no fewer than four graded races on Saturday, with Heavens Girl claiming the G2 4Racing SA Fillies Nursery, Celestial Love the G2 4Racing Camellia Stakes, Netta the G2 4Racing Gerald Rosenberg Stakes and Don’t Look Back the G3 4Racing Gold Bowl respectively.
The Paul Peter trained Heavens Girl collected the first feature race run on Champions Day when she stormed home to win the SA Fillies Nursery in fine style. Under Warren Kennedy, the two-year-old daughter of Soft Falling Rain proved too strong for some promising rivals, with Heavens Girl claiming the 2021 4Racing SA Fillies Nursery by just over three-parts of a length.
Bred by the Ndoro Stud, and racing for Messrs Marc Peter, John-Paul Peter & D T Peter, Heavens Girl was a R110 000 buy from the 2020 Cape Yearling Sale.
Heavens Girl, who has now won twice from six starts having finished second in both the G3 Protea Stakes and Listed Ruffian Stakes previously, is out of the winning Dynasty mare Maggie Muggins, a half-sister to Storm Bird Stakes runner up Carlito Brigante.
Brilliant three-year-old filly Celestial Love made it back to back graded victories when that Johan Janse van Vuuren trained filly stormed home to win Saturday’s G2 4Racing Camellia Stakes in impressive fashion.
Under Gavin Lerena, the Hemel ‘N Aarde bred Celestial Love smashed her rivals as she drew off to post a three length win.
A daughter of Drakenstein Stud’s inform sire What A Winter, Celestial Love has now won five of just eight starts (she is yet to finish out of the top two), with the filly having captured the G3 World Sports Betting Man O’ War Sprint on her penultimate start.
Racing for Messrs J F & L M F Wernars & Mr H Willson & Mrs T J Wernars, Celestial Love was a R120 000 buy from the 2019 KZN Yearling Sale.
Another three-year-old filly, and BSA graduate, to impress on Saturday was the Oldlands Stud bred Netta.
The latter, who went through the ring at the 2019 Cape Yearling Sale, showed her class, and paid a compliment to Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara heroine War Of Athena, when romping home to a six length win in Saturday’s G2 4Racing Gerald Rosenberg Stakes over 2000m.
Ridden to victory by Warren Kennedy, Netta is owned by Messrs J F & L M F Wernars and she is a daughter of deceased Storm Cat sire Where’s That Tiger.
From the same family as Saturday’s impressive G1 4Racing Computaform Sprint winner Rio Querari, Netta has now won 3 of 13 starts, with the filly having finished runner up in the G1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic and third in the G2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks previously.
Final BSA graduate to land a graded feature on Saturday was the St John Gray owned and trained gelding Don’t Look Back. The latter, a Varsfontein Stud bred son of Judpot, stayed on dourly, under former champion South African jockey S’Manga Khumalo, to land Saturday’s G3 4Racing Gold Bowl by just over half a length.
Very closely related to former Equus Champion Don’t Look Back, a R240 000 buy from the 2017 National 2YO Sale, has now won eight of 31 starts.
