Drakenstein’s light blue colours carried by Skukuza can be seen finishing just three lengths behind Frankel’s half-brother by Kingman, Kikkuli, at Newmarket today (Tuesday) (Picture: At The Races)
Gaynor Rupert’s UK-based stud operation Cayton Park Stud Ltd had a runner on the Newmarket Rowley Mile today (Tuesday) and he acquitted himself well considering the class of horse he was up against.
The three-year-old is by Blue Point out of Trippi mare Shingwedzi, who was out of a Sadler’s Wells mare.
Shingwedzi won three races from 1600m to 1800m in SA, including the Oaks Plate on the Fairview poly, and she did well in stakes races inluding three Gr 2 thirds, a Gr 3 third and fourth, and two Listed runner up finishes.
Shingwedzi was effective from a mile up to 3200m.
Today on the Newmarket Rowley Mile her Blue Point three-year-old colt made his seasonal reappearance in a Maiden Stakes race over seven furlongs.
He had had a second and a third as a two-year-old.
The Ed Dunlop-trained colt won the best turned out award today.
However, he was up against the like of the Harry Charlton-trained Kikkuli, an impressively strongly built Kingman half-brother to Frankel, as well as a Goldolphin Too Darn Hot colt who is a out of a Listed-winning Mount Nelson mare.
Kikkuli had finished second on debut last year and after settling in a handy position, he went through a gap tio hit the front before finding extra in impressive style under Ryan Moore when looking likely to be mowed down by the Godolphin colt.
Kikkuli got up by a neck.
Skukuza sat off the pace and moved up before staying on to be beaten three lengths.
Gaynor Rupert will have more runners this week and will be particularly looking forward to Saturday, because her 2000 Guineas entry, the homebred Dubawi colt God’s Window, is ergaged to run in a traditional 2000 Guineas pointer event, the Gr 3 Greenham Stakes over seven furlongs at Newbury.
God’s Window, who is also entered in a lesser race at Nottingham on the same day, won on debut over a mile at Doncaster as a two-year-old before finishing a two length third in the Gr 1 Kameko Futurity Trophy Stakes over that same course and distance.
Saturday will be his seasonal reappearance.
On Friday, Rupert has the Nathaniel homebred 90-rated stayer Grand Providence in a staying race at Newbury. She is out of the crack SA-bred Gr 1-winning mare Same Jurisdiction (Mambo In Seattle).
Gaynor also has a hard-knocking Sea The Stars homebred colt running in a Novice Stakes race at Newbury on Friday.
