Sukhumvit strides clear to win the Gr 3 1Voucher Victress Stakes over 1800m (Picture: Wayne Marks)
The Alec Laird-trained five-year-old mare Sukhumvit at last fulfilled her potential when romping home in the Gr 3 1Voucher Victress Stakes over 1800m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday to gain richly deserved bold black type.
She won by an easy 3,25 lengths under Philasande Mxoli, although she was running off a 94 merit rating and was thus only carrying 51kg in the merit rated band conditions event and she was receiving 9kg from the runner up Rainbow Lorikeet.
However, Sukhumvit has always had potential and in fact had previously run a Gr 3 second, two Listed seconds and a Listed third.
She had also had to be given a layoff of more than nine months from halfway through her four-year-old season.
She is now the mighty Silvano’s 109th stakes winner.
Alec clearly did a fine job of taking care of her during her long layoff, because she came back in October this year to run a head second at odds of 25/1 to the smart Gr 2-winning three-year-old colt Chronicle King in a Graduation Plate over 1450m.
She followed that up with a fine half-a-length third in the Listed Betway Summer Pudding Handicap over 1600m and although she was receiving 7kg from the first two, Kisshoten and Mocha Blend, the latter franked the form in no uncertain terms by winning the Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup.
Alec said in the interview on Saturday that Sukhumvit had learnt to settle batter as she had matured and that was likely the key to her finally becoming a black type horse.
Sukhumvit jumped from draw ten of ten and after being reined back was caught wide so Mxoli cleverly allowed her to go forward in the hands all the way up to second place.
Although she had no cover she was well settled and looked to still have plenty in hand turning for home.
She hit the front at the 400 mark but still hadn’t been asked and she duly found plenty.
The running on Rainbow Lorikeet had no chance of catching her.
Sukhumvit will have to face some of the vanquished on much worse terms if she is given a crack at the Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes over 1800, but she showed her class on Saturday and being by Silvano might turn out to be a late bloomer who can go on to bigger things.
She was actually chosen by Jonathan Snaith at the Sales and is owned by Nick Jonsson.
She was purchased at the BSA National Yearling Sale for R500,000.
