Hollywood Racing 1-2 as Curious Girl (Richard Fourie) beats Salani Kahle (Sean Veale) in the TAB SA Derby (Pic – JC Photos)
Sporting Post
The De Kock family and the Hollywood Racing team celebrated a memorable R1 250 000 TAB Gr2 SA Derby success at Turffontein on Champions Day when Futura’s progressive daughter Curious Girl became the first filly to win the 2450m contest in the 109 years since Noble Lady scored in 1917.
The high-riding Ridgemont-retained Richard Fourie enjoyed a red-letter day with four feature winners, substituting for the indisposed Gavin Lerena, and riding a typically professional race on the perennial motion longhauler.
Hollywood Racing 1-2 as Curious Girl (Richard Fourie) beats Salani Kahle (Sean Veale) in the TAB SA Derby (Pic – JC Photos)
Fourie had Curious Girl beautifully positioned and the 11-10 favourite moved up down the inside in the home straight, staying on best to register 157,36 secs for the 2450m, beating fellow Hollywood Racing flagbearer, the Gareth van Zyl-trained Salani Kahle (14-1), by 1,20 lengths.
Sean Tarry’s Master Spy (33-1) looked momentarily dangerous, but didn’t quite go through with his late surge, finishing a length back in third.
This wasn’t entirely new ground for Mike de Kock!
Prior to joining forces with his son Mathew, he trained 6 SA Derby winners, dating back to probably his greatest, Horse Chestnut in 1999, and including Greys Inn (2004), Bouquet Garni (2009), Irish Flame (who won in 2010 and coincidentally sired Listed winner Enflame on Saturday), and then consecutively in 2021 and 2022, courtesy of Malmoos and Aragosta.
Curious Girl and Richard Fourie are led in by a happy team of triumphant connections (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
The astute De Kock senior conceded he was ‘a purist’ who preferred to leave the girls with the girls, and the boys with the boys.
“With respect, this did not look like a vintage renewal of the Derby, and the thought of the impact on her rating in the event of her running on top of one of the higher rated fillies in the Oaks, was a further consideration. She has a future and we’d like to make sure she gets the best chances,” added the master conditioner, who thanked his team and Hollywood Racing for the support.
“We don’t always get it right. But when we don’t, there is no finger pointing!”
Bred in the Eastern Cape at Riyo Stud, Curious Girl, now a winner of 5 of her 7 starts, and only once out of the money when trying the KZN all-weather, has earned R1 037 639.
Sold by Ascot Stud as agent, Curious Girl was a R160 000 National Yearling Sale purchase – a smart selection as she is classically-bred, being out of the Fort Wood mare Idaho, whose Global View half-brother Tabebuia was runner-up in the Derby Trial (now Hawwaam Stakes) some years back.
Idaho never saw a racetrack, but has come good as a stakes producer. In addition to Curious Girl, she is also the dam of Global View’s son Ideal View, who blossomed in Zimbabwe, notching up nine wins including the Castle Tankard over 2400m.
Curious Girl is from the same female line as SA Oaks winner Frances Ethel, who is by Ridgemont kingpin Rafeef out of Daphne Garland, an own sister to Laurel Tree – the grandam of Curious Girl.
The trophy is on its way to KZN – Hollywood Racing’s Dermot O’ Connell, Devin Heffer and Ian Stangroom eye the silverware (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Interestingly, their full sister Bay Tree was the first to produce a classic winner, her Strike Smartly son Bouquet-Garni carrying the Oppenheimer silks to victory in the 2008 SA Derby for Mike de Kock, as we noted earlier in this story.
The female line has fired on all cylinders in recent years – the aforementioned Bouquet-Garni’s unraced own sister Tagine features as the grandam of Oriental Charm, whose finest hour came in the 2024 Hollywoodbets Gr1 Durban July.
Blood once again rules the land.
Ed – Ashley Parker’s Ascot Stud, who sold Curious Girl as agent, have a lovely Futura filly (#350) on the BSA National Yearling Sale out of Rich Man’s Gold mare Coral Tree – the dam of 2018 Gr1 Premier’s Champions Challenge winner, Coral Fever (Judpot).
