NARROW CREEK STUD’S FINE GOLD CUP DAY
BIG BURN ENDS THE SEASON WITH TEN FEATURE RACE CHEQUES
GRADE 2 WIN FOR SWING UPON A STAR AND A MILESTONE LISTED WIN FOR ISIVUNGUVUNGU.
The Paul Peter-trained Elusive Fort three-year-old filly Big Burn will not be winning any Equus Awards, but deserves mention after a remarkable season in which every one of her ten runs was in a feature and she never missed the frame.
She was one of the highlights for her breeder Narrow Creek Stud on Marshall World Of Sport Gold Cup day, where horses from that stalwart stud also clinched a Grade 2 win and a Listed win.
Big Burn had four wins, three seconds, two thirds and a fourth in her ten runs in the season.
She is owned by the ASSM Syndicate of Arun Chadha and Warne Rippon in partnership with Ian Levitan.
She won the Grade 2 Jo’burg Spring Fillies And Mares Challenge over 1450m, the Grade 3 Sycamore Sprint over 1160m, the Non-Black Type BSA Sales Cup for fillies over 1400m, the Non-Black Type Lady’s Stakes over 1200m;
She finished second in the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint, she was a touch unlucky in the Grade 3 WSB Magnolia Handicap over 1160m but an objection against the winner Sound Of Warning, to whom she gave 1,5kg and who beat her by a quarter-of-a-length, was over-ruled, and she finished second in the Listed Swallow Stakes over 1160m, giving the 0,30 length winner, her stablemate Freed From Desire, 3kg.
She finished third in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m and third in the Grade 3 HSH Princess Charlene Starling Stakes over 1400m.
She finished fourth in the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint over 1200m, 1,60 lengths behind Captain’s Ransom, who beat her by 1,30 lengths in the Mercury Sprint on Saturday.
She was ridden in every one of her starts this season by Warren Kennedy and it added to her record as a two-year-old of an easy maiden win and a second place finish in the BSA Sales Cup for fillies on Durban July day from a wide draw.
Narrow Creek also produced Saturday’s Grade 2 Epol Umkhomazi Stakes with the Paul Peter-trained Elusive Fort colt Swing Upon A Star, who was ridden by Warren Kennedy. He is a half-brother to Flying Bull (Soft Falling Rain), who has won up to 2400m, but Peter said in the Gold Cup day panel discussion that Swing Upon A Star just has too much “gas”, so they decided to drop him in trip and it proved to be an inspired decision.
In the last race of the day, the Listed Umngeni Handicap over 1000m, the powerfully built Peter Muscutt-trained Narrow Creek Stud-bred What A Winter three-year-old Isivunguvungu was one of the most impressive winners of the day. He burst through a gap in the straight and won easing up by 3,20 lengths to give the Hollywood Syndicate their 100th win of the season in the nick of time, although Hollywood did add another winner on the last day of the season yesterday at Kenilworth. Isivunguvungu always looked likely to relish the return to 1000m and he gave Richard Fourie his 200th win of the season. He is out of the four time-winning Tiger Ridge mare Miss Tweedy.
Big Burn is out of the Argonaut mare Ignition Lady, who won once over 1200m and who placed three times in nine career starts.
Ignition Lady has also produced the Grade 2 Dingaans and Grade 3 Tony Ruffel Stakes winner and multiple Grade 1-placed Catch Twentytwo, her full brother, as well as the three time-winning speedster Fly Away (What A Winter).
She also has an unraced Quasillo colt on the ground, owned by the same connections, and an unraced Rafeef colt, who was bought for R400,000 at this year’s National Yearling Sales by the Mike and Adam Azzie yard.
Isivunguvungu provided Narrow Creek Stud with another stakes winner at Gold Cup day on Saturday and gave the Hollywood Syndicate their 100th win of the season and Richard Fourie his 200th (Candiese Lenferna).
