The Glen Kotzen-trained Hold My Hand deserves a change of luck and could become yet another Drakenstein Stud-bred individual stakes winner this season as she runs in the Gr 2 Riding High Together Gold Bracelet over 2000m at the World Pool Gold Cup meeting on Sunday (Picture: Candiese Lenferna Photography).
On Saturday at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Beach Bomb became Drakenstein Stud’s 20th individual stakes winner this season, which is now two better than their own record of 18 set last season.
There are still more chances for Drakenstein to add individual stakes winners in the last few days of the season.
On Friday at Fairview Silver Host (Silvano) can give them another individual Stakes winner in the Listed Port Elizabeth Gold Cup.
On Sunday at the World Pool Gold Cup meeting the horses who can add to Drakenstein’s individual stakes winners for the season list are Danilo Danilovitch (What A Winter) in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint, The Africa House (What A Winter) in the Gr 1 Moment Of The Day Champion Stakes, Hold My Hand (Gold Standard) and Silver Darling (Silvano) in the Gr 2 Riding High Together Gold Bracelet, and Ready To Charge (Gimmethegreenlight) in the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes.
Of course Drakenstein have plenty more chances than that to add to the number of stakes races they have won this season.
Their 20 individual stakes winners this season have won an amazing 34 stakes races between them, which can be compared to their 18 individual stakes winners of last season winning 25 stakes races between them.
Drakenstein will also be crowned national champion breeders for the first time.
Big numbers usually win the Breeders Championship, but Drakenstein have done it with just 180 runners to date, which can be compared to the champions of the last five seasons doing it with 387 runners, 254 runners, 453 runners, 445 runners and 314 runners respectively.
Drakenstein have earned the championship through their ability to churn out black type performers.
Their average earnings per runner of R177,777 is easily the best in the land of all breeders who have had a significant number of runners.
What is it that has seen Drakenstein dominate the black type columns for the last two seasons?
Turf Talk will try and delve deeper into this during the off season in an attempt to analyse what makes this stud farm as successful as they are.