Palace Of Arvernia made it three successive Gr 2 wins at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth ohn Saturday and she has only had five starts (Picture: Wayne Marks)
The only Equus Award that raised a few eyebrows and came under scrutiny for the 2025/2026 season was the Two-year-old fillies award with the twice Gr 2 winner Palace Of Arvernia ousting the unbeaten Marchland as well as Get Up, who had beaten Palace Of Avernia by 4,85 lengths when winning her only Gr 2 of the season, the Allan Robertson.
However, the panelists were vindicated when the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Vercingetorix filly made it three Gr 2s in successive runs at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday as she returned from a three month layoff to win the Western Cape Fillies Championship over 1400m by a cosy 1,50 lengths.
There were also good wins for the Justin Snaith-trained Legal Counsel, who retained his Gr 3 Cape Mile crown, as well as for his stablemate Pink Pigeon and for the Andre Nel-trained Gentleman Joe, with both of the latter pair winning Listed races.
Palace Of Arvernia drifted out in the betting from 13/10 to 3/1 joint favourite.
However, she looked the winner from the time she had jumped well in the 12 horse field.
Craig Zackey took her up into the leading vanguard and after the deck had been shuffled she was three back on the rail in fifth position.
She has a fine temperament and does everything asked of her.
Therefore Zackey could afford to who have her a couple of lengths behind the horse in front of her as she was beautifully relaxed on a long rein while striding out well.
Royal Tiara set a decent pace with Fog In Finland behind her and Viginia Bluebell alongside the latter.
KZN filly Last Margarita was ahead of Palace Of Arvernia on her outside and behind the former in a one out position was the joint favourite Over My Shoulder.
Georgie Girl was supported at long odds and was on the rail behind Palace Of Arvernia.
The 33/10 shot Dream Trip was sandwiched early from draw nine and took a keen hold behind Over My Shoulder, while the fancied Verse For Suzanne was fourth from last on the rail.
Fog In Finland was sent into the lead in the straight hard driven, but Palace Of Arvernia had soon slipped through a narrow gap between her and the rail to hit the front, before staying on all the way to the line.
The 25/1 shot Georgie Girl followed Palace Of Arvernia through with long strides and kept up with her without ever being under serious pressure to finish a 1,50 length second. This Rob Barrett-trained Real Gone Kid filly is one of the horses to take out of the race.
Fog In Finland held on for a 2,25 length third.
Over My Shoulder came around horses into the straight and took a while to get going, but finished strongly with long strides for a 2,75 length fourth. She will appreciate the Summer Course with its lobger straight and that is the course the WSB Cape Fillies Guineas will be run on.
Pacemaker Royal Tiara did well to hold on for a 2,95 length fifth.
The Al Adiyaat-bred filly Palace Of Arvernia is out of the Gr 3 Pretty Polly Stakes winner (1100m) Palace Of Dreams and is from the family of the like of champion filly Kiss Of Peace (Fordham) and the Gr 1 Cape Guineas winner Kilindini (Silvano).
She was bought for R575,000 at the National Yearling Sales and has earned R1,181,250 for owners Sandy Irvine and Peter Moor courtesy of four wins and one place from five starts.
Her full-sister was the highest-priced filly at the August Two-year-old Sale, going for R2.6 million purchased by Form Bloodstock, who act on behalf of Kannemeyer’s clients and others.
A small but vintage field lined up for the Gr 3 Cape Mile, as Legislate gelding Legal Counsel had to face two high class stablemates, the Equus Horse Of The Year See It Again and the Hollywoodbets Durban July winner Note To Self.
However, the most supported horse in the betting was the Rob Barrett-trained Chasingtherainbow, who went from 17/2 down to 4/1 second favourite despite being 5,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted Legal Counsel.
Chasingtherainbow set the pace with Beware second, while See It Again and Legal Counsel moved comfortably alongside each other behind those two and Note To Self was loping along with his huge stride at the back.
Chasingtherainbow drifted to the outside, as is his wont, although JP van der Merwe probably went over there too early as it was soon clear he had lost ground on the others.
Legal Counsel turned it on well and after he had hit he front it was race over as he is known for his resolute finish and not many are going to get past him in the straight. Note To Self caught the eye with his long-striding finish for a 3,50 length second, giving the winner 1,5kg, and See It Again was next best in a race that will bring him on a lot.
Pink Pigeon later made amends for bad luck in her last start. She finished strongly from a handy position to convert 3/1 odds in the Listed Laisserfaire Stakes over 1100m under Keagan de Melo. She carried 56,5kg off her 97 rating to beat the favourite Babelicious by a neck. The latter carried a big weight of 61kg. It was the first bold black type for the hard-knocking Pink Pigeon, a Boland Stud-bred five-year-old mare by Querari.
The Sabine Plattner homebred Gimmethegreenlight eight-year-old gelding Gentleman Joe used his big stride and light weight of 50kg to lead from start to finish under Athandiwe Mgudlwa in the Listed Woolavington Stakes over 2400m and he just held on from Fort Liam to convert 10/1 odds. He is now a bold black type earner and will be given a few points hike as he was 4,5kg under sufferance with the best-weight runner off his 83 merit rating.
