Whistle The Tune Wins The Listed Hollywoodbets Super League Devon Air Stakes cosily on Saturday (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
South African-bred champion sires this millenium i.e. Jet Master and Captain Al, have also become champion damsires and the pretender to their throne, Vercingetorix, has a stakes winner already with his first broodmare at stud.
The Glen Kotzen-trained Captain Of All filly Whistle The Tune is out of Vercingetorix’s first broodmare, the unraced Penny Whistle, who was injured as a two-year-old.
On Saturday at Hollywoodbets Greyville Whistle The Tune won the Listed Hollywoodbets Super League Devon Air Stakes under Richard Fourie.
It was her sixth start and her second win.
She has been beaten in races won by the like of Roman Agent, One Stripe and Quid Pro Quo, so her form in defeat was also eyecatching.
A look at the breeding records confirms that Whistle The Tune has been Vercingetorix’s only runner to date as a broodmare sire, so he has a 100% winners to runners strike rate and 100% stakes winners to runners strike rate and has average earnings per runner of R276,513!
Glen Kotzen recalled, “When I saw Whistle The Tune at the sales I said, ‘What a beautiful foal you have.’ She was just stand out to me. So then we bought her. Captain Of All throws some lovely horses and she’s going to be a decent filly. I think she impressed Richard.”
Glen secured the Oldlands Stud-bred filly for R140,000 at the BSA Cape Yearling Sale last year and that is looking to be a bargain price for her owner Sandy Arundel of Itssa IT and Business Solutions (Pty) Ltd.
In the race on Saturday Whistle The Tune wore cheekpieces for the first time and after breaking well from draw three secured the rail.
She threw her head up when Fourie took a hold waiting for You Bring Me Joy to come around from a wide draw to take the lead.
Whistle Your Tune continued to race with her head high in second place and did not look too well settled.
Nevertheless, that did not stop her moving into the lead in the straight down the centre and then quickening well at the 300m mark.
That saw her gaining an advantage and the Fourie drive was able to keep her going to stave off the late run of the widely drawn Varvara to win by 0,70 lengths.
Dark Winter, Scars Of War and Care Forgot were next best beaten 3,60 lengths, 3,90 lengths and 4,30 lengths respectively.
Whistle The Tune had been “very nervous” in the parade ring, apparently due to a new big screen, and was taken down early, so is not a straight forward type.
Fourie did not mention anything about her being unsettled, but said she had been “very green” and in the latter stages had “come up agaoin and looked at everything.”
“She is a very nice horse,” he concluded.
Glen said he would now target her at the Gr 2 Golden Slipper over 1400m on Hollywoodbets Durban July day.
