The dashing Trippi filly Live Life banked the second biggest winner’s cheque in over a century of horseracing in this country when she stormed in to win the $500 000 CTS Sprint at Kenilworth on Saturday.
Grant van Niekerk steers Live Life ahead of Always In Charge (Anton Marcus) and Attenborough (Piere Strydom) to win the CTS Sprint (Pic – Wayne Marks)
Coming from some lengths off the inside group, recent Gr2 winner Live Life demonstrated her serious ability – and plenty of acceleration – when she was switched sharply from behind the Gr1 winner Always In Charge by jockey Grant van Niekerk and went past the smart Captain Al colt like he was standing still, to win going away.
Candice Robinson – trained first and fourth
It was just over a year ago that the ill-fated Illuminator made history when winning the inaugural CTS Million Dollar at the same track.
With Cape Thoroughbred Sales restructuring the golden carrot to create more winners by splitting the original 1400m contest into a 1200m sprint and a mile, the scene was set for a double feature thriller with 40 runners lining up in the two races.
And relative new owners Piet and Vivia du Toit’s Hunkydory Investments were the happy recipients of the R3 300 000 first cheque as the Avontuur bred Live Life finished too strongly for Always In Charge (no complaints over the runner-up cheque of R1 320 000!) and went on to score by a half length in a time of 70,96 secs.
It was a terrific race for Avontuur, who banked the Vendor’s bonus of $5000 and also bred the classy Attenborough, who finished well in third – and grabbed R990 000 for his efforts.
The winner’s stablemate Extradite earned nearly double her purchase price in fourth with a generous R660 000 payout.
Grant Van Niekerk – strong ride
The final earner was the Snaith’s fifth placed Red Light Girl who banked R264 000.
The popular favourite Sergeant Hardy was never going well and finished 9,05 lengths downfield. His breathing issues may have returned to haunt him and his supporters.
The previously unbeaten Cloth Of Cloud walked out of the stalls and was never in the race, finishing stone last.
The impressive Gr2 Sceptre Stakes winner, Live Life took her earnings to R3 701 250.
She has won 4 races with 3 places from 9 starts and looks a certainty to travel to KZN for the SA Champions Season.
Sired by SA champion Trippi, the R2,5 million Cape Premier Yearling Sale graduate is a daughter of the smashing National Assembly seven-time winning speedster Viva.
This is the dam of the top-class Cold As Ice and the next in line of a wonderful established Avontuur female line.
