Green Sapphire powers home to victory in the Gr 2 HKJC World Pool Tibouchina Stakes despite the race having not panned out well for her. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Two progeny of Gimmethegreenlight, the Sean Tarry-trained three-year-old filly Green Sapphire and the Justin Snaith-trained two-year-old colt Malmesbury Missile, became the latest stakes winners produced by Drakenstein Stud and that took the leading stud farm to 20 individual stakes winners of 26 races for the season, which is one short of their own South African record of 21 stakes winners in a season.
It looks likely to become the fourth season in succession Drakenstein have set a new South African mark in this category.
Tarry’s charge ran in the Gr 2 HKJC World Pool Tibouchina Stakes over 1400m and was surprisingly long in the betting at 25/2 as her only failure had been over a mile and she had won a Gr 3 over this course and distance in addition to her good sprint form on the Highveld.
The old feature partnership of Tarry and Smanga Khumalo combined and Green Sapphire produced a fine win, especially considering she was nearly brought down when there was some early jostling and she was then caught wide without cover.
The writing seemed on the wall when she turned for home with still a few lengths to make up as horses had not generally been coming from off the pace on the day and those two aforementioned happenings would have surely eaten into her reserves.
Instead she steadily crept closer and then when Khumalo changed whip hands at the 200m mark she changed legs and let herself down very well.
She accelerated to a catch Callmegetrix and win by 0,40 lengths.
Minogue flew up from the back to be be just a further shorthead back and they were followed home by Oxalis Gold and Sovereign Grant.
Green Sapphire should pay to follow as this race did not pan out at all well and yet she still won.
Bred and owned by Drakenstein Stud, Green Sapphire has won 5 of 10 starts for 4 places and stakes of R764 938.
Green Sapphire is out of the Trippi mare Sapphire Gem, and is thus bred on the same Gimmethegreenlight-Trippi cross as the Gr1 winners Gimme A Prince and She’s A Keeper, as well as the graded stakes winning fillies, Green Diamond and Gimmie’s Countess.
Earlier, Malmesbury Missile was a fitting winner of the Listed Gatecrasher Stakes over 1400m as the race is ponsored by the Hollywoodbets Sharks and the horse is named after Springbok rugby legend Pieter-Steph du Toit.
The long-striding colt came from way off the pace and simply outclassed the field under Richard Fourie to win by a length from Aversator, Count Rouen, Tenjiku and Porridge Boy.
Malmesbury Missile started at 28/10.
Market rival Tenjiku did not get a good break and was caught too far back for his handy style, but should bounce back in the Gr 1 Premer’s Champion Stakes over 1600m, a step up in trip he will enjoy.
A clearly progressive 2yo son of champion sire Gimmethegreenlight (More Than Ready), the good-looking Malmesbury Missile was bred by Drakenstein Stud and is out of the 2018/19 Equus Champion 2yo filly Gabor, a daughter of the late Kingsbarns.
Now a winner of 2 races with 4 places from 6 starts and stakes of R488 438, Malmesbury Missile originally fetched R900 000 at the 2024 CRS Cape Premier Yearling Sale.
Sandy Arundel of Itssa It and Business Solutions (Pty) Ltd chose him at that Sale for his good looks and also because he was Lot 17, which is the date of her birthday.
He was subsequently purchased for R2,2 million by Jonathan Snaith at a short-notice partnership dissolution sale out of the Glen Kotzen yard in February this year.
He then transferred to the Snaiths with World Sports Betting partnering with original co-owners, Itssa It & Business Solutions (Pty) Ltd.
