The Vaughan Marshall-trained Rascallion gained deserved bold black type when winning the Grade 2 Anthonij Rupert Wyne Premier Trophy over 1800m under Corne Orffer.
Rascallion’s career has unfortunately coincided with stalwarts like his stablemate Linebacker as well as Jet Dark and Kommetdieding and he had gained many Graded places before this victory.
Marshall pulled off a fine training feat as this was his third run after a layoff of eleven months.
Rascallion touched off the gallant seven-year-old Nexus on Saturday, a horse who grows an extra leg when ridden by Piere Strydom.
Rascallion gave a boost to Vercingetorix who had started lagging behind the former champion sire Gimmethegreenlight in the race for this season’s championship.
Gimmethegreenlight nevertheless holds a R1,219,012 lead over Vercingetorix. What A Winter is breathing down the latter’s neck in third place.
Crome Yellow later gave the Andre Nel/Sabine Plattner operation a boost in what has been a below par season by their standards. The eight-year-old Trippi gelding bounced back to his best with a fine win in the Grade 3 Merchants On Long Chairman’s Cup over 2500m, carrying 58kg at odds of 33/1 under Grant van Niekerk.
The Marshall-trained Senso Unico has been promising for a long time to relish staying trips and he finished second carrying 56kg at odds of 50/1. This Twice Over gelding might become a force to be reckoned with in the staying division as a rangy type who probably needed time to mature into his big frame.