After a wobbly start for fancied runners, Candice Bass-Robinson and form jockey Grant van Niekerk righted the ship for punters at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday.
The duo teamed up with the favourite Sovereign Spirit who cruised to victory in a slow-run R125 000 Gr3 Campanajo 2200, a race traditionally labelled the ‘Çonsolation July’.
The opening leg of the big day Place Accumulator (the pool reached a healthy R1 734 797) produced no surprises as Van Niekerk posed in the saddle for his second winner on the afternoon.
Sovereign Spirit (5-2) came home with ease by 0,80 lengths to beat big race discard Tristful (5-1) and Cat Daddy (9-1) in a time of 137,39 secs.
Sovereign Spirit (Grant van Niekerk) moves up outside of Tristful (Sean Veale) before powering home to win well (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The Lammerskraal bred and raced Sovereign Spirit had run an excellent prep third in the recent Cup Trial and duly built on that effort to register his first stakes score.
He is by the former Durban July winner Dynasty (Fort Wood) out of Jet Master’s five-time winner Viva Maria.
Sovereign Spirit went through the Cape Yearling Sale ring for R5 750 000 and took his earnings after this win to R265 625,
