South Africa’s darling of the turf scores her second successive Gr 1 victory (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Gimme A Nother might have only won the Gr 1 TAB Empress Club Stakes over 1600m by 1,50 lengths at Turffontein on Saturday, but once again it was the manner of victory that stamped her as potentially an all time great.
However, Mike de Kock did say before the race he would like to see her beat a better class of field before he starts making comparisons with the greatest he has trained.
Jockey JP van der Merwe said her temperament was becoming a bit of a problem and even with the lead pony on Saturday she had been a touch aggressive.
This caused her to hit her head in the starting stalls.
They took her out the stalls and she was shown to have a small nick beneath the eye, but the veterinarian was happy it was nothing serious.
JP was not happy with the draw of seven out of seven and was not sure he wanted to be too far back in the sticky going.
He thus decided to ride her positively from the off and this enabled her to slot in to second place behind the pacemaker, her stablemate Humdinger.
Gimme A Nother has been seen lately to come from off the pace and sweep to victory with ease, after initially going through a bit of a flat spot in the straight.
So racing pundits held their respective breaths when she hit the flat spot at the 400m mark this time, because she had had those early exertions. Was she going to be able to produce her usual exhilarating burst of speed?
She quickly put their minds at rest.
The rocket burners were switched on as usual , this time just before the 200m mark. She then drew away to beat her gallant stablemate Humdinger easing up by 1,50 lengths.
Last year’s Equus Champion two-year-old Mrs Geriatrix was coming off a disappointing Cape Town campaign and was beaten five lengths into third. She had the status of being the new darling of the turf last year, but has been usurped by Gimme A Nother.
Gilded Butterfly was a 6,25 length fourth ahead of Perfect Witness.
The Gr 1 Thekwini winner Bavarian Beauty was disappointing and was beaten 12,25 lengths into sixth.
Gimme A Nother is now seven from seven.
A Champions Season campaign will enable her to be tested against the best from other provinces, although last season’s Equus Horse Of The Year Princess Calla is now overseas and so is the best performed Cape three-year-old filly, Beach Bomb.
Mike de Kock campaigning her in Dubai next season is likely to happen now that direct travel to the EU has been granted.
