Having her 95th start, an 8yo mare who shed her maiden before some of her opponents were born, produced a rousing finishing effort at Turffontein on Saturday to win the R150 000 Listed Jacaranda Handicap.
While Rouge Allure went off at 14-1, her victory under Denis Schwarz was a popular one and a memorable moment for the Vaal-based Stephen Moffatt, who also saddled runner-up Opera Glass in a commendable stakes exacta for the small yard.
Denis Schwarz steers Rouge Allure to a well-deserved win (Pic – JC Photos)
While the winner is an 8yo, the name of Mick Goss in the ownership with longstanding supporter Albert Rapp makes it a sentimental victory – and a deserved one at that for Stephen Moffatt , who saddled his first winner at Bloemfontein on 15 July 2003, when Fanie Chambers booted Private Badger home in a Maiden Juvenile Plate.
But Saturday belongs to the Summerhill Stud-bred chestnut soldier Rouge Allure, a daughter of deceased Summerhill and Bush Hill sire Kahal, who made her debut under Gunter Wrogemann in August 2016.
She has raced through wind, rain and shine for six seasons and continues to provide the fireworks.
“After she ran three lengths off last time under 58kgs, I knew she would win today,” added delighted owner Albert Rapp.
The race worked out swimmingly for Rouge Allure after Richard Fourie took La Luvia out to set a serious pace ahead of the grey Rosaprima.
Into the home run Rouge Allure built up and swept through to beat her stablemate Opera Glass by a length in a time of 111,82 secs.
The favourite Bold Fortune (9-4) didn’t have the best of luck but ran a game race again under topweight to secure third, a further length back.
The Acacia Stakes winner Pin Up was given every chance by Warren Kennedy but faded late to 8 lengths off the winner. She may not have stayed the 1800m.
Bred by Summerhill out of the Pivotal mare Mekyaas, who was placed five times in Britain and France, the winner was a R300 000 graduate from the 2015 CTS Emperors Palace Select Yearling Sale.
Rouge Allure has won 13 races with 29 places from 95 starts for stakes of R1 217 750.
OFFICIAL RESULT:
TRAINER JOCKEY DISTANCE BETTING
1 ST 6 ROUGE ALLURE S Moffatt D Schwarz —– 14/1
2 ND 9 OPERA GLASS S Moffatt *J R Syster 1,00 1,00 10/1
3 RD 1 BOLD FORTUNE S T Pettigrew D De Gouveia 1,00 2,00 9/4
4 TH 7 SARAGON C Dawson R Munger 3,00 5,00 8/1
5 TH 4 PIN UP P A Peter W Kennedy 3,00 8,00 5/2
TIME OF RACE: 111.82 s
Tote Fav: 1 BOLD FORTUNE S T Pettigrew D De Gouveia 2,00 9/4
