Cat And The Moon (Richard Fourie) is too strong as she powers to a second stakes win in the Van Huyssteen silks, Lady Ming (red cap) ran fourth (Pic: Bay Media)
Owner Braam Van Huyssteen enjoyed a succesful feature afternoon at Kenilworth on Saturday. Three runners with three different trainers saw him enjoy a Listed winner, as well as seconds in a Gr3 and another Listed event.
The Justin Snaith-trained Cat And The Moon won the Listed Winter Oaks with a courageous performance. She races in a partnership of Van Huyssteen and Greg Bortz. While the silks were switched to the Bortz aquamarine blue, the same partnership own the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Lord Marshal, who finished second earlier in the Gr3 Langerman.
Owner Braam Van Huyssteen – good day at the races
Petty Officer, trained by Greg Ennion, completed the Van Huyssteen run with a smart second to Lanner Falcon in the Listed Ladies Mile. The daugher of Royal Air Force is owned in partnership with Cape Town attorney, Howard Rubinstein.
Sheltered led the R150 000 Listed Winter Oaks field at a modest pace from the 2200m start as Cat And The Moon found herself in second position ahead of Lady Ming – a far more forward position than Cat And The Moon is usually used to racing in.
At the 800m things quickened up as Corne Orffer stepped on it as Sheltered continued to lead.
Richard Fourie acted quickly as Cat And The Moon took over at the top of the straight as the fancied Moonsong Magic came forward to challenge.
A ding-dong battle ensued between the two fillies, but it was Cat And The Moon who outstayed the luckless Ennion challenger.
Richard Fourie – feature double
Cat And The Moon went on to beat Moonsong Magic by a head in a time of 146,22 secs, and give the Snaith-Fourie combination a feature double.
The Adam Marcus-trained Stormsvlei Mile winner Crystal Cavern caught the eye as she flew late for third. She should still win her fair share.
Cat And The Moon is a R175 000 Cape Premier Yearling Sale Book 1 graduate and has won 4 races from 1300m to 2200m, with 6 places from 15 starts and R371 075 in stakes.
This was her second stakes win – she also won the Listed Breeders Guineas at Fairview.
The Oldlands Stud-bred winner is a daughter of Black Minnaloushe out of the once-winning Indigo Magic mare, Earn A Moon – a half-sister to Mike De Kock’s Dubai stakes winner Lucky Find and the well-performed PE stakes performer Pay The Piper. Both won 8 races.
Cat And The Moon’s younger half-brother Moonrise Sensation (by Var) set a record for Oldlands Stud at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale earlier this year when bought by a UK owner for R4 million.
