East Cape champion trainer Alan Greeff capped a red letter day and a superb season with an eyecatching victory by his Bold Silvano colt Foreign Source in the R200 000 Listed Champion Juvenile Cup at Fairview on Friday.
With only Monday’s polytrack meeting still to come, Greeff passed the 170 winner mark, with Greg Cheyne riding three and Kendall Minnie a double.
Greg Cheyne steers Foreign Source to a facile victory (Pic – Pauline Herman Photography)
And the highlight of the afternoon was the emergence of a really promising looking colt in the Ascot Stud-bred Foreign Source, who toyed with his opposition to register what shouldn’t be his last stakes victory.
Cheyne had the goodlooking galloper relaxed about eight lengths off the gallop set by recent debut winner Self Assured. The latter was going well but faded going into the final stages.
Sharon Kotzen’s Scarborough Fair, one of a pair of fillies in the race, looked to confirm her excellent Hollywoodbets Greyville July day run, when she stormed up to take the lead late.
But Cheyne was bluffing and Foreign Source turned on the jets inside the 200m to beat the KZN Yearling Sale Million fourth placed Scarborough Fair by 2 lengths in a time of 85,76 secs.
The winner’s Flower Alley stablemate Parterre was not disgraced in third.
Foreign Source is raced in a partnership by Anthony Williams and Andrea Puggia, who were both on course.
Alan Greeff said his owners were passionate ‘but nervous’ guys and his phone had been ringing for three weeks! In these uncertain times, it is good to see happy owners having fun with the prospects of an exciting 3yo season ahead for their R90 000 buy.
Alan Greeff – smart 2yo on his hands and a big season behind him
Bred by Ascot Stud, the winner is a son of the now retired – due to fertility issues – Bold Silvano (Silvano) out of the Bahamian Bounty mare, Bahamian Express.
A thrilled Ascot Stud’s Dr Ashley Parker described this as a top class family.
Bahamian Express had soundness issues and thus never raced.
The winner’s second dam Excellent (Grand Lodge) is a half sister to Danehill Gr1 winner Echelon, who was a Champion Older Female Miler in Ireland in 2007 and Joint Champion in Britain in the same year. She won 9 races.
The twice-raced Excellent was purchased barren in England by Ascot’s Dr Ashley Parker and she foaled here in Southern Hemisphere time, producing Bahamian Express. Her daughter by Global View was purchased by Alistair Gordon for R150 000 at the 2019 National Yearling Sale.
A winner of 3 races with 4 places from 7 starts for stakes of R294 600, Foreign Source was purchased for R90 000 by Pine Ranch Stud off the 2018 National 2yo Sale.
In a rare occurrence, title chasing jockeys Lyle Hewitson and Muzi Yeni drew a blank on the day – and the duo go into the Super Saturday extravaganza at five in favour of Hewitson.
