Holding Thumbs (closest) was a courageous winner of the WSB Club Prive Cape Summer Stayers Handicap (Picture: Wayne Marks)
South Africa’s reigning champion sire Vercingetorix had a treble at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
In landing Saturday’s R1 250 000 Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas, Quickstepgal became Vercingetorix’s 14th G1 winner.
Vercingetorix is also sire of Cape Fillies Guineas fourth-placed Princess Of Gaul, winner of the recent Gr 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship.
Quickstepgal is the second G1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas for Vercingetorix following Chansonette.
Vercingetorix is also responsible for Saturday’s WSB Club Prive Cape Summer Stayers Handicap winner Holding Thumbs.
The latter, also victorious in last season’s Listed Monaco Sport Of Kings Kenilworth Cup , made it back to back Cape Summer Stayers wins with a courageous performance.
Under Chad Little, the Glen Kotzen trained five-year-old just got up in the closing stages to score by a short-head, while taking his tally of wins to eight.
He carried 63.5kg and gave the favourite and runner up, Ahead Of The Facts, 11kg yet still managed to fight back after being headed.
Holding Thumbs was runner up to Equus Champion Stayer King Pelles in all of the 2025 Gr 3 Glorious Goodwood Chairman’s Cup, Gr 3 World Pool Gold Cup, Gr 3 Durban Gold Vase and Gr 3 Tote Derby.
Holding Thumbs races for Messrs P Bamford, D D MacLean & Gary Player Stud Farm (Pty) Ltd, Mrs J Doyle & Mr L S & Mrs Rayna Govender.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, Holding Thumbs, who is out of the Fort Wood mare Withbatedbreath, was a R1 100 000 buy from the 2022 August Two Year Old Sale.
Kotzen, Little and Vercingetorix also emerged victorious in the tenth and final race of Saturday when the latter’s daughter got up to beat the favourite Pink Pigeon by 0,30 lengths in the 1000m contest.
Kotzen and Little had a treble together on the day.
