Richard Fourie drives Irish Myth up to win the Winter Oaks (Bay Media)
The very well performed Irish Flame’s full sister Irish Myth confirmed her promise with a resounding first stakes victory in the Bernard Kantor silks in Saturday’s R150 000 Listed Winter Oaks run over 2200m at Kenilworth. Justin Snaith continued his dream season and saddled the first two home.
It is often said that blood rules the land and punters that supported Irish Myth’s Australian-bred stablemate Acrostar may have failed to note the impressive family connections of the local lass and wpould have been stumped by any casual assumptions made about the glaring variance in their respective official merit ratings.
The high-riding Snaith had two beautiful bred fillies in the race and Richard Fourie rode the lesser fancied Irish Myth (MR 74) while Glen Hatt piloted the Danehill Dancer filly Acrostar (MR 94).
The latter started a 22 to 10 favourite, while some shrewdies took the early 12 to 1 about Irish Myth and backed her into 7 to 1.
While both are two-time winners, Irish Myth had to go to PE last time to win her second race and it just goes to show again that horseracing is less than an exact science on most days.
There was plenty of talk about Greg Ennion’s massive daughter of Royal Air Force, Petty Officer, and she overcame her wide draw to lead them early.
The Maine Chance bred filly headed Marmalady and Chrisaldame with Princess Of The Sky further back.
Richard Fourie rode a cracker
In the run for home Petty Officer faded badly as Acrostar and Counting Angels came forward but Fourie had been lurking and he pounced wide out on the strong-running Irish Myth. She came forward strongly at the 200m and went on to beat Acrostar by 1,25 lengths in a time of 143,45 secs.
Greg Cheyne kept Counting Angels going to stay on for third.
Petty Officer compounded and ran stone last.
A Tawny Syndicate-bred daughter of Dynasty, Irish Myth was registering her third win from 11 starts with 2 places. She just about doubled her stake earnings in the process to R190 050.
She is out of the four-time winning Flaming Rock mare, Clock The Rock, and cost R500 000 on the Cape Premier Yearling Sale Book 1.
She is, as we pointed out in our opening, a full sister to the very well performed Irish Flame, who hails from the successful ‘Corn’ family.
He was voted Horse of the Year at 3, Champion 3yo Colt and Champion Stayer at 3 in 2010.
He won from 1600m to 2450m and counted the Gr1 SA Derby, Gr1 Daily News, Gr2 KZN Derby amongst his major wins and was also placed in the Gr1 Vodacom Durban July, the Gr1 SA Classic and the Gr2 Al Rashidaya in Dubai.
Irish Flame is standing his first season at Bush Hill Stud under the management of the Tawny Syndicate.
He stands for a fee of R10 000.
Irish Myth should pay to follow and wherever she goes from here, she will make a lovely broodmare.
