Sovereign Mint powers home to beat the improved Sabadell (JC Photos)
Trainer Robbie Sage and jockey Gunter Wrogemann teamed up to deliver a well taken hat-trick for the very progressive Judpot gelding Sovereign Mint in the undoubted highlight of the Turffontein meeting on Saturday.
The well bought Cape Premier Yearling Sale graduate registered his fourth career win from just 9 starts, when he slammed a field that included some high-quality gallopers.
Well supported into a 28 to 10 favourite in the nine horse field, he scored an emphatic victory in the R120 000 Pinnacle Stakes run over the 1450m.
Heart Of A Lion went off to lead in his customary role and he led Shadow Ofhis Smle and Newton Power with Sabadell further back and Snowdon battling to get into things.
Heart Of A Lion stayed on as Sabadell unleashed his effort down the inside.
But Gunter Wrogemann held the ace and he produced the well backed Sovereign Mint down the centre and swept forward to resist the powerful challenge of the improved again Sabadell who came on strongly down the rail.
A popular winner, Sovereign Mint won by 0,75 lengths in a time of 88,36 secs.
A disappointment of the race was the Western Winter gelding Shadow Ofhis Smile, who plodded into fourth after having every chance.
Sovereign Mint was bred by Riverton Stud and was yet another winner for Varsfontein sire, Judpot.
Gavin Lerena – the meeting’s top jockey with a good double
He cost R100 000 on the Cape Premier Yearling Sale Book 1 – he has now earned over R300 000 with the best yet to come.
The 4yo gelding is out of the Goldkeeper mare, London Mint, who won one race.
Gavin Lerena was the most successful jockey on the afternoon with a double.
He won on runaway maiden victor China Beach in the second and then followed up on the promising Shepard One for Dominic Zaki in the fifth race, a Pinnacle Stakes.
Two front-running winning rides over distance deserve mention.
Replacement rider Marco Van Rensburg kept Mike De Kock’s Improving Guy From Dubai going to win the 2600m Pinnacle Stakes in a terrific show of judgement.
The fast improving Akash Aucharuz won a cracker from the front over the same distance when piloting Final Score to a dogged win in the MR 77 Handicap.
The carryover Pick 6 produced results that went largely according to plan and paid just R 10 034.80
