Beautiful. Beach Beauty (Sean Cormack) strides clear to win the R300 000 Gr2 Calulo Services Premier Trophy at Kenilworth today
The brilliant Dynasty mare Beach Beauty dramatically raised the prospects of a second straight Met win for the fairer sex, when she gave the males a galloping lesson in Saturday’s R300 000 Gr2 Calulo Services Premier Trophy. The race was run at a gloriously sun-drenched, but windy Kenilworth.
After a largely forgettable 2011/12 Cape campaign, the Dennis Drier-trained Beach Beauty stood out like a beautiful rose amongst the thorns and slammed her twelve rivals. In so doing, she consigned some big race aspirations to the dashed dreams dump.
There were more than a few dented reputations after the event, but the mood in the high-riding Dennis Drier camp was nothing short of buoyant with nightmares of an incident-filled under two length finish to Igugu in the 2012 J&B Met now a distant memory.
Going off at 3-1, Beach Beauty tracked the free-striding Master Plan early, closely followed by Lion In Winter and English Garden. Karl Neisius and Taipan had found things very hot and were near the rear.
At about the 1400m marker, Karis Teetan took Black Wing to lead from Brown Penny, with Beach Beauty now settled in third, just ahead of Lion In Winter and Master Plan.
Turning for home Black Wing continued to lead, but was quickly tackled by Cormack who sent Beach Beauty for home as Run For It unwinded wide out.
Many Shanks! The winning team savour the win
The move prove decisive as the magic mare kept at her task, with Run For It running out of time, but staying on well.
Beach Beauty went on to score decisively by 1,25 lengths in a time of 111,71 secs.
Victorious KZN trainer Dennis Drier, who was winning a second Group feature this summer after Chave De Oura had won the Gr3 Cape Classic, said that things had not quite gone Beach Beauty’s way last year:
“ We decided to give it another chance and I’m glad we did. I’ve never trained a sounder horse and it was a peach of a ride by Sean Cormack,” he said.
Jockey Sean Cormack, who rode a terrific race, said that the potential absence of pace had worried him:
“I got her out quickly and when she pricked her ears, I knew she would settle beautifully. We got a dream run up the straight and while I thought she’d quicken a bit better off the slow pace, I feel she will definitely come on a lot from this. She is all heart and very small , but packs a punch,” he said enthusiastically.
Dennis Drier. Trains Beach Beauty .
The perennial runner-up Run For It ran on well enough but had to be content with second place, yet again. It was a big race for stallion Dynasty, who sired the first two horses home.
Greg Ennion’s Master Plan ran on well for third only two lengths adrift, while Bravura never threatened a further 2,25 lengths behind.
The fancied Taipan was run off his feet and finished ninth and 6,50 lengths behind.
The balance finished further behind and had no chance with the winner.
These included Castlethorpe (6,60 lengths), League Of Honour (7,10 lengths) , Lion In Winter (8,85 lengths) and English Garden, who was tailed off in last position and 13,10 lengths behind.
Beach Beauty was bred by the Armitages and is by Dynasty out of the three-time winning Capture Him mare, Sun Coast.
She was registering her fifth group win, and ninth win overall, with six places from 18 starts for stake earnings of R1 362 453.
While the Met is another mountain entirely, Beach Beauty is bound to have endeared herself to a wider reach of supporters and we will follow her progress towards a deserved first Gr1 win with great interest.
