Jockey Ryan Munger and Vaal trainer Ashley Fortune crashed the party for Big Burn fans at the delayed Turffontein racemeeting on Sunday when the Rafeef filly Bella Chica found a late turn of electrifying foot in the final strides to win the R150 000 Listed Gardenia Stakes.
Scoring her first victory in 413 days and her maiden stakes strike, Bella Chica finished powerfully under Ryan Munger at any price to beat the accomplished topweight Big Burn (4-1) by 0,15 lengths in a time for the 1000m of 57,51 secs.
Ryan Munger has Bella Chica in front to cause the upset (Pic – JC Photos)
Corne Spies’ Flowerbomb (9-2) moved up dangerously, but had to be content with third.
The favourite Iphika showed good toe down the outside, but did nit go on with her effort to finish on the fringes of the money.
Bred by Klawervlei Stud, Bella Chica is raced by Gerald Frank and Hayley Palmer and was bred by Klawervlei Stud. A daughter of Ridgemont Highlands kingpin Rafeef (Redoute’s Choice) she is out of the three-time winning Captain Al mare, War Path
She has now won 6 races with 6 places from 18 starts for stakes of R405 125.
Watch the race replay here:
