Penalty Kick! Hammie's Hooker(Bernard Fayd'herbe) cruises away to win the Gr3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery
Four straight heels against the head. That’s the impressive record of the Trippi filly Hammie’s Hooker who took the R138 000 Gr3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery in her stride on Sunday. Mike Bass looks to have a very smart sort on his hands.
Hammie’s Hooker campaigns in the famed pink, white and blue Pocket Power silks of former Cape champion owner Marsh Shirtliff, who is known as something of a connoisseur of both the Zandvliet fast horses and their fine red wines.
Shirtliff has had tremendous good fortune in his association with Dan and Paul de Wet and while it will probably take him a century to fly anywhere near the heady days of Pocket Power or River Jetez at their peak, he again appears to have another top sort in the making.
Hammie’s Hooker came into this race with only one defeat from her four starts. She was beaten without disgrace on debut when she went down 6,75 lengths to a flying Vaughan Marshall filly called Valdivia. That name will ring a bell for punters as the facile winner just a month back of the Gr3 Strelitzia Stakes at Clairwood.
The Bass filly had won her next three starts by a combined excess of over eleven lengths, including the Listed Perfect Promise Fillies Sprint at her last outing. That form was good enough to stand her in good stead on Saturday and she went off a sizzling hot order at 1-5.
Richard Fourie took The Black Rose up to lead the small field from the pacy Waterfall and Pleasure Jet with Hammie’s Hooker relaxed in fourth position. At about the 300m marker The Black Rose started to shorten her stride as she came back to her field and Bernard Fayd’herbe had switched Hammie’s Hooker out to the centre for a clear run.
Nothing much was running on at this point and it was left to the favourite to assert herself under a very composed Fayd’herbe. She drew away despite the late attentions of Captain’s Lullaby and the 50-1 outsider Initimateconnection. She won by 0,75 lengths, a margin which frankly flattered the opposition, under a hands and heels ride in a time of 74,34 seconds.
The Black Rose, who had won her first three career starts with ease, was a disappointment finishing 19,25 lengths off here after showing toe. The daughter of Black Minnaloushe, the 6,25 length Eastern Cape Fillies Nursery winner, looks to have trained right off.
Veteran. Mike Bass trains the promising Hammie's Hooker
It goes without saying that Hammie’s Hooker is a very smart filly, having won four of her five starts. She has earned every time she has come racing and together with her Bloodstock SA bonus of R50 000 earned here, boasts career earnings of close on R300 000.
Messrs Marsh Shirtliff, Bryn Ressell and Markus Jooste went to R360 000 for her at the Cape Regional Summer Yearling Sale in March 2011. She was bred at the home of Pocket Power, Zandvliet Stud, and is by the new sire sensation Trippi out of the twice winning Damascus Gate mare Gem Queen.
Hammie’s Hooker’s dam only won up to 1200m, but one imagines that with her relaxed and mature racing style that this promising sort should stay at least 1400mor even a mile in time to come. A return match with Valdivia over 1200m would also make for a fascinating contest. For now it is difficult to oppose Hammie’s Hooker for the Cape Champion Juvenile filly title.
Result:
Kenilworth Fillies Nursery (SAf-G3) (5/6)
Kenilworth, South Africa, May 6, R138.000, 1200m, turf, good, 1.14.34 (CR
1.09.90).
HAMMIE’S HOOKER (SAF), 58.0, b f 2, Trippi – Gem Queen (SAF) by Damascus
Gate. Owner M J Jooste, B Ressell and N M Shirtliff; breeder Zandvliet Stud
(SAF); trainer M W Bass; jockey B Fayd’herbe (R91.500)
Captain’s Lullaby (SAF), 58.0, b f 2, Captain Al (SAF) – Murmuration by
Miswaki
Intimateconnection (SAF), 58.0, ch f 2, Lake Coniston (IRE) – Serious Side
(SAF) by Fard (IRE)
Margins: ¾, ¾, 2
Also ran: Waterfall (SAF) 58.0, Pleasure Jet (SAF) 58.0, The Black Rose
(SAF) 58.0
