The Querari gelding Pleasedtomeetyou showed that sprinting could be his A-game at this stage of his career when he went all the way to register an easy win in the R150 000 Need For Speed Sprint at Kenilworth on Saturday – the final feature of the Cape season for 2018.
The winner of the Listed Sophomore Sprint at his second start, the Sabine Plattner 3yo flagbearer was hailed a classic prospect by many – but failed to reproduce a winning performance when tried in the Cape Classic where he ran a rather tame third three lengths behind subsequent Cape Guineas placer Twist Of Fate.
Greg Cheyne rides Pleasedtomeetyou with the hands as Anthony Andrews looms on Russet Air (Pic – Chase Liebenberg Photography)
Outgunned when 4,70 lengths behind Gr1 winner Sand And Sea last time, the Andre Nel-trained galloper relished the conditions on Saturday and was never pressured to go all the way under Ridgemont-Highlands rider Greg Cheyne to win well in a time of 58.91 secs.
Candice Bass-Robinson’s longshot Russet Air boosted the quartet when he came out of the pack to chase the winner with a possibly flattering 0,75 lengths deficit at the line.
The Snaith’s Seventh Sea showed that his CTS Ready To Run Stakes run was all wrong in the hands of a jockey who didn’t know him and he came on late for third a further 1,75 lengths back.
Recent maiden winner Mastagambit was not disgraced in fourth.
The Gr1 winner Van Halen lost ground at the start but was seen finishing his race off well and finished on the fringes.
A Plattner home-bred, Pleasedtomeetyou is a son of Maine Chance Farms German champion and Italian G1 winner, Querari, a half-brother to Gr3 Bavarian Classic winning sire Quasillo and Gr2 Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa Stakes winner Quidura.
The lead is is spearheaded by former jockey Tyron Langdon (Pic – Chase Liebenberg Photography)
Querari has produced at least one stakes winner in each of his first four crops to date, and has enjoyed notable success with his representatives including graded stakes winners, including the exported Monks Hood, Wonderwall and Pinnacle Peak.
The winner is out of the twice winning Fort Wood mare Plaisir De Fete who won up to 2000m.
So his speed is interesting and it is worth noting that he has shown the ability to settle and quicken smartly – so it is not inconceivable that he couldgo a mile when he matures.
He took his stakes bank to R267 250 with 3 wins and 2 places from just 5 starts.
