Formerly run as the Gerald Rosenberg Stakes, the R350 000 TAB Gr2 Igugu Stakes at Turffontein on Saturday provided a welcome return to the feature winner’s box for trainer Stuart Pettigrew, courtesy of Rafeef’s 3yo daughter, Beating Wings.
Beating Wings (Calvin Habib) withstood a strong effort from the fancied My Soul Mate (Richard Fourie) to open her stakes account (Pic – JC Photos)
Rafeef’s dazzling versatility as a stakes winner producing sire across the spectrum was underlined again when the champion son of Redoute’s Choice marked a Gr2 big day feature double, with Mrs Browning winning over 1160m a half hour earlier, and then Beating Wings opening her stakes account over 2000m.
Formerly trained by Ashley Fortune, Beating Wings was one of only two 3yo’s in a quality field, and ran against her trainer’s better judgement, after she hadn’t touched her Friday night dinner!
But all’s well that ends well, as Calvin Habib produced Beating Wings (9-2) from some way back to reel in Joey Soma’s game long-time pacemaker Bellevarde (14-1), and then withstood a strong effort from the fancied My Soul Mate (33-20) to make it a 3yo 1-2 and win by 0,40 lengths in a time of 124,30 secs for the 2000.
The winner’s stablemate Gilded Butterfly (11-2), who won this race last year, rounded the quartet off.
Raced by all of Messrs Dayalan Chinsammy, S Govender, L Grammer, Reashan S D Maharaj, Andre’ Mey & Miss Trinisha Pillay, Beating Wings was originally a R325 000 Cape Premier Yearling Sale purchase.
Bred by the bang in-form Ridgemont, she is a daughter of Rafeef (Redoute’s Choice) out of the three-time winning Western Winter mare, Cool River.
Now a winner of 4 races with 2 places from 7 starts, Beating Wings has earned R486 063.
