Pritti Victory wins easily under 4kg claining apprentice Brevan Plaaitjies to give Vercingetorix a treble on the day (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Newly arrrived Cape horses or horses returning to KZN from campaigns in Cape Town have proved to be ones to follow, even if their Cape campaigns had been disappointing.
It is well known that horses who have travelled from Cape Town often begin to thrive in KZN, although they also often arrive ahead of the handicapper having faced stronger fields in Cape Town.
The latest example was at the Hollywodbets Scottsville meeting on Sunday where the Gareth van Zyl-trained Vercingetorix filly Pritti Victory waltzed home by 2,5 lengths in a MR 76 handicao for fillies and mares over 1200m, after being backed in to 5/2 favourite.
She provided stalwart stallion Vercingetorix with a third win at the meeting and he is eating into Gimmethegreenlight’s lead in the national Sires Championship, although he is still more than R3 million in stakes behind the reigning champion.
This three-year-old Pritti Victory made a winning debut in KZN over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville in late November. Four other winners have come out of that race, including Littleblackvelvet who has won twice.
She went to Cape Town to run in the R7.5 million Gold Rush over 1600m, where she was not digraced in a 7.05 length seventh, considering it was only her second afeer start.
She then stayed for one more run there and ran a 1,75 length fifth to Pinapplemintgreen in a Class C handicap over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth at odds of 4/1 after being backed in from 8/1.
One other winner, the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Nordic Quest, has come out of that race.
So Pritti Victory running off just a 83 merit rating and carrying 61.5kg minus the 4kg claim of Brevan Plaaitjies looked to have a great chance on Sunday and duly obliged.
Van Zyl was in fact the trainer who got the boom status of Pritti Victory’s sire Vercingetorix rolling as he won the sire his first Gr 1 when landing the Allan Robertson with Vernichy.
Pritti Victory looks to be one who can progress further.
It was in fact a fine meeting on Sunday for the Maine Chance Farms-based stallion Vercingetorix as he also produced the winner of two other races.
The promising Tony Rivalland-trained Mary Liley-owned three-year-old daughter of Vercingetorix Celtic Beauty kept going in courageous fashion under Richard Fourie to win the Listed WSB Scarlet Lady over 1750m. She has now won three of her five starts. She was bred by Klawervlei Stud, but Rivalland and Liley raced her NZ-bred dam Killer Woman (Rip van Winkle), who won three races from 1400m to 1800m.
The classy Andre Nel-trained Cape Eagle put his hand up as an exciting staying prospect when held up at the back in his first attempt at a staying trip in the Non-Black Type WSB Highland Night Cup over 2400m and flying home under Serino Moodley to get up by a head. He carried 60kg and did admittedly receive 1,5kg from the Justin Snaith-trained One Way Traffic, who finished an encouraging second. Dynasty gelding One Way Traffic, who is now a six-year-old, has put up one top class performance in his career, when winning the Hollywoodbets Durban July consolation race, the Vodacom 2200, by three lengths on July day 2022. He has not won since, but has beome consistent this season with that runner up finish following three thirds and two fifths in Cape Town. He can hopefully fulfil his potential in staying races this Champions Season.
At the previous KZN meeting, on the poly last Wednesday, the Dean Kanemeyer-trained Master Of My Fate gelding Royal Swan Master was another example of a horse having his first run after returning from Cape Town and winning.
Last weekend at Hollywoodbets Scottsville the Peter Muscutt-trained Lancaster Bomber colt Cold Shine won first time out back from the Cape in his third career start and the promising Rivalland-trained King Of The Gauls (Vercingetorix) also won first time back from the Cape.
At the April 1 meeting at Hollywoodbets Scottsville Justin Snaith’s treble was all with Cape horses having their first runs in KZN, Great Plains (Danon Platina), Lightning Glow (Vercingetorix) and Get Impressed (Vercingetorix).
The previous day at Hollywoodbets Greyville Snaith had won the Gr 3 Umzimkhulu Stakes by 5,30 lengths with Double Grand Slam (Vercingetorix), who was also having her first start in KZN.
Other recent KZN winners having their first runs since traveling from the Cape are the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Spelling Bee (Futura) and the Peter Muscutt-trained Isivivane (Erupt).
THe Mike Miller-trained Silvano gelding Narina Trogon is also clearly thriving in KZN. This former Cape-based horse was bought at an in-training sale and in four starts in KZN has a seventh, when he needed it, followed by a second in a Non-Black Type event and then two Listed wins in the Kings Cup over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville and then on Sunday at Hollywoodbets Scottsville in the Sledgehammer over 1750m.
