Named after Springbok rugby star Pieter-Steph du Toit, the Drakenstein Stud-bred Gimmethegreenlight colt Malmesbury Missile registered his first stakes success when he charged through from near last into the home stretch to win the R300 000 Hollywoodbets Sharks Listed Gatecrasher Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday.
Malmesbury Missile (Richard Fourie) sweeps past the opponents to register his first stakes success (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
In a race where the recent debut winner Vikings Revenge ensured a solid gallop, SA Champion trainer Justin Snaith produced the goods with Malmesbury Missile, who races in a partnership of the Arundel family and World Sports Betting, and who clearly enjoyed his first dip at 1400m.
Confidently ridden by Ridgemont-sponsored Richard Fourie, Malmesbury Missile (28-10 tote favourite) was steered wide out, and swept past his nine opponents in good style to beat Dean Kannemeyer’s recent maiden winner Aversator (17-2) by a length in a time of 85,78 secs – a second faster than the girls a half hour earlier.
Peter Muscutt’s polytrack debut winner Count Of Rouen (6-1) was a nose back in third, in an encouraging effort.
The only two-time winner in the starting line-up, Alec Laird’s Tenjiku (33-10) was 0,40 lengths back in fourth.
“Malmesbury Missile was quite burly when he ran in the sprint last time and had tightened up. He ran a bit green and he will be a better horse in a mile,” added Fourie.
A clearly progressive 2yo son of champion sire Gimmethegreenlight (More Than Ready), the good-looking colt was bred by Drakenstein Stud and is out of the 2018/19 Equus Champion 2yo filly Gabor, a daughter of the late Kingsbarns.
Now a winner of 2 races with 4 places from 6 starts and stakes of R488 438, Malmesbury Missile originally fetched R900 000 at the 2024 CRS Cape Premier Yearling Sale.
He was subsequently purchased for R2,2 million by Jonathan Snaith at a short-notice partnership dissolution sale out of the Glen Kotzen yard in February this year. He then transferred to the Snaiths with World Sports Betting partnering with original co-owners, Itssa It & Business Solutions (Pty) Ltd.
