My Sanctuary’s daughter Silver Sanctuary finishes fast for a smart win in the Listed Summer Pudding Stakes (JC Photos).
Turf Talk
The infamous race at Clairwood which caused a meeting to be abdandoned back on St, Patrick’s day March 17, 2013, should have just become a foootnote but it keeps on cropping up through the two main protagonists in the drama that day, Captain Al filly War Path and Antonius Pius filly My Sanctuary.
My Sanctuary’s stall did not open that day but she managed to burst through, losing many lengths, while War Path went on to victory.
My Sanctuary was the favourite and the fact that she ran on to finish third in the six horse field meant she had to be declared a runner because the rule states that any horse finishing in the first four can not be declared a non-runner.
This led to outrage by the punting public who refused to let the jockeys come out for the next race and the meeting had to be abandoned.
My Sanctuary went on to win the Gr 2 Debutante and her name was up in lights a few years later through the exploits of her Gr 1 Daily News 2000-winning Silvano son Safe Passage, who also won the Gr 2 Dingaans and Gr 2 Gauteng Guineas.
My Sanctuary’s name is up in lights again because Safe Passage’s full sister, Silver Sanctuary, is following in his footsteps.
She impressed when flying home to win the Listed Summer Pudding Handicap over 1600m by 0,75 lengths at the Big T on Saturday under JP van der Merwe.
Mike de Kock trains both Safe Passage and Silver Sanctuary, who are both Drakesnstein Stud homebreds, and he said, “She was eight pounds out at the weights so this was a very good run from Silver Sanctuary. We wanted to see if we had a Guineas filly, I thought this was her minimum trip, but she is on the up and she will stay. Well done to Drakenstein Stud, a good breeding feat with her dam.”
De Kock’s Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein Stud homebred Querari filly Bonete, who is out of his former SA Oaks winner Ilha Bela, was a good second in the Summer Pudding Stakes and also has promise.
Meanwhile, War Path ironically made the news recently in a scenario that had shades of that infamous St. Patrick’s day event ten years ago at Clairwood.
Her daughter She’s A Klawer was declared to be a runner at the Vaal despite leaving the jockey behind in the stalls. The stipendiary stewards deemed that the the jockey had ridden the horse “in an unprofessional manner by failing to take all reasonable measures to ensure that he was sufficiently prepared for the start whilst in the stalls and under Starter’s orders, which led to the horse jumping riderless from the stalls.”
On this occasion the horse was not the favourite and in any case both bookamers and the Tota decided to refund punters who had backed the horse. That led to a the NHRA writing a letter to the operators concerned that they had acted against the rules and they explained the potential repercussions which setting such a dangerous precedent could have.
War Path has produced the Hong Kong-based Vercingetorix gelding Super Warrior, who was called Fearless Warrior in South Africa when running second in the Gr 3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery and winning twice. War Path has also produced Bella Chica, a six time-winning Listed winner.
