White Pearl bursts through late to just get up. (JC Photos)
There have been two renewals of the Gr 2 Ipi Tombe Challenge over 1600m at Turffontein Standside since it was renamed the Mike de Kock Ipi Tombe Challenge and both have fittingly been won by Mike de Kock-trained Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein-bred fillies, the unbeaten darling of the turf Gimme A Nother winning it last year and White Pearl winning the second renewal on Monday on Reconciliation Day.
De Kock actually secured the exacta in Monday’s race as the Betway Summer Cup flop Silver Sanctuary bounced back with a strong-finishing second.
Piere Strydom gave White Pearl a masterful ride and the grey filly became the Mauritzfontein-based stallion Danon Platina’s second stakes winner.
It was a second Graded victory for Warne Rippon and Arun Chadha’s ASSM Syndicate in the space of just over a week as they scored with Fatal Flaw in the previous weekend’s Gr 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas down at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
The 28-10 second favourite VJ’s Angel set the pace , while the 9/10 favourite Fiery Pegasus was having a torrid trip, being caught wide and having to be reined back for cover.
Strydom sat behind the vanguard in the small seven horse field and had White Pearl nice and relaxed, while Silver Sanctuary was behind her.
VJ’s Angel galloped strongly in the straight while still in the hands and opened uip a two length lead on Let’s Go Now and None Other.
White Pearl tracked Let’s Go Now.
Meanwhile, Silver Sanctuary began running on strongly down the inside and overtook White Pearl.
However, the wily Strydom always leaves something in reserve and as they entered the final 150m it was clear that of the four still in contention White Pearl was travelling the best and just had to find a gap.
Strydom looked right first, but then VJ’s Angel drifted that way and so he switched White Pearl left and she burst through the gap between VJ’s Angel and Let’s Go Now.
The small grey caught her big stablemate Silver Sanctuary just before the line to win by 0,30 lengths. The 2kg Gr 1 penalty Silver Sanctuary had to carry was costly.
Let’s Go Now finished third and VJ’s Angel was beaten just 0,95 lengths into fourth despite carrying a 2kg Gr 1 penalty.
“I probably had a whisky or two in at the time, but I told Piere Strydom once that he is the Tiger Woods of the jockey ranks,” conceded De Kock as he praised his ride and he also praised Raymond Danielson for his ride on Silver Sanctuary.
De Kock said that he had left the racecourse two weeks earlier in disbelief that Silvano filly Silver Sanctuary had run last in the Betway Summer Cup.
“Two weeks after that she runs a great race in a Grade 2. Just makes one wonder.”
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, White Pearl has now won 4 races and with 10 places from 18 starts has earned R1 072 375.
Japanese-bred Danon Platina, a champion 2yo colt of Japan in 2014, is the only son of the legendary racehorse and sire Deep Impact to stand in SA.
Big things were expected of his first crop last season as they had showed promise as two-year-olds and were expected to get better with age.
Therefore, their collective performance was most disappointing.
However, Danon Platina has been prominent lately and over the weekend was also sire of the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas third-placed Great Plains, who was his first stakes winner and has won a Listed race and a Gr 3 to date.
White Pearl is out of the Tiger Ridge mare Oyster Pond. and was a R450 000 purchase from the 2022 August Two Year Old Sale.
