Ashburton trainer Duncan Howells won the KZN Yearling Sale Million for the second time in three years at Greyville on Saturday. Successful in 2014 in South Africa’s richest race for 2yo’s with Gr 1 winner Same Jurisdiction, he was back in the money again – this time with a maiden daughter of Windrush.
Anthony Delpech has Lunar Rush well in command
The 1300m race is restricted to all graduates of the 2015 KZN Yearling Sale who ‘ticked the box’.
While enjoying a top billing in July week on Africa’s greatest raceday might seem a quality high-profile platform, the July hype tends to overshadow the race and it might have received a little more attention a week later when very little is happening anywhere else nationally.
Just a thought.
But so be it and with the field eventually reduced to twelve with the late scratching of Glen Kozten’s Shizam (who had been drawn at pole), there was no stopping Lunar Rush who Anthony Delpech jumped keenly with nothing on her inside.
Duncan Howells – Mister Millions
The pacy filly, who had run a dismal race on a slow away 40-1 debut on 27 April, has certainly upped her game.
At her second start, at odds of 110-1, she showed some toe and was beaten 1,75 lengths by the progressive looking Querari Falcon.
On Saturday, she was in restricted feature company but with stable confidence behind her was a 7-2 second favourite to shed her maiden and bank R625 000 – all in one go!
And things worked out well with Anthony Delpech riding her positively from the jump, Lunar Rush was never headed and went on strongly to win by 2,25 lengths in a time of 77,72 secs.
Recent Joburg maiden winner Thewaywemakem, a son of Modus Vivendi, stayed on best for second, with Dougie Whyte steering The King Of Random into third.
The favourite Poster Girl was a well beaten fourth on a day that saw many fancied runners bite the dust.
A daughter of Windrush, Lunar Rush is out of the eight-time winning stakes placed Silvano mare, Romantic Moon. The latter was raced by many of Saturday’s winning partnership and interestingly ran on July day in 2011 – finishing unplaced behind Happy Archer in the Garden Province Stakes.
Lunar Rush was bred by Messrs B B Campbell, P Gounden, D C Howells and P J Maujean, A M Quintas and G Reich.
She was consigned by Boland Stud at the 2015 KZN Yearling Sale where she was knocked down to Duncan Howells Racing for R220 000.
Lunar Rush has won 1 race with 1 place from her 3 starts for stakes of R641 000.
