A Big Favour! Lielums comes home under Robert Khathi to win the Listed Lady’s Pendant (Coastal Photos)
Brand new PE trainer Renate du Plessis only saddled her first winner on Valentine’s Day but made even bigger strides at Fairview on Friday where she chalked the R150 000 Listed Lady’s Pendant up as her first career feature win. In so doing, she had some big names floundering in her wake.
The 30 year old Du Plessis was featured in the Sporting Post last week and the article was fortuitously timed as she set an important milestone early in what looks to be a promising career.
“I still can’t believe it and I am still floating on a cloud,” she told us late on Friday evening.
And the little filly that had put her there was the Favour Stud produced Lielums, a well travelled three time winner who seldom runs a bad race.
Lielums came into this race off a good second behind the solid mare Jean’s Pride at Kenilworth three weeks earlier, but was freely available in the betting and supported as the Cape big guns and a champion local lined up.
Justin Snaith’s very smart Cape feature winning Victorian Secret went off at 18 to 10, while there was interest in Mike Bass’ Jet Master 4yo Fly By Night and Alan Greeff’s champion 2yo of last season, Yoshie.
Robert Khathi rode the winner for Renate du Plessis
Backed in from 14 to 1 to 13 to 2, Lielums streaked clear late in the race under an enterprising ride by Robert Khathi to win going away by a length in a time of 67,67 secs.
The Capetonian Fly By Night ran on well for second, ahead of the topweighted Victorian Secret.
Darryl Hodgson’s Gouldikova was reported hanging in between the 500 and 200 metre marks and carried I Got You Babe inwards on two occasions.
The rider of Flashing Star reported this filly changing stride in the latter stages. The Course Veterinary Surgeon found her to be short in front and uneven ibehind after the race.
The fancied Yoshie jumped awkwardly from the stalls and the saddle slipped back in the running.
The home bred Lielums was bred by Favour Stud and is by National Emblem out of the Is It True mare Cutey Lee, who won five races.
Lielums has now won 4 of her 16 starts with 6 places and R265 275 in stakes.
Well done again to Renate and the Favour Stud team.
On the day Aldo Domeyer and Gavin Smith enjoyed a winning double, as did Gavin Blake and Grant Van Niekerk who got two home for the Mike Bass Racing team.
