What a pleasure to experience some racing under the lights from Turffontein and to enjoy watching a once orphan foal break into the big league with a smooth victory in the R200 000 Gr3 TAB4Racing Fillies Mile.
Night time was popularly touted as the ‘right time’ in the Phumelela days of yore, and while we don’t get to enjoy enough of it these days, the delayed Saturday 12 November Turffontein racemeeting forced a late day-night slot on Friday that provided plenty of racing entertainment.
Emirate Gina (Raymond Danielson) charges clear to beat None Other (Smanga Khumalo) and the consistent Rock The Fox (Calvin Habib) in the feature (Pic – JC Photos)
The feature on the card was the Gr3 TAB4Racing Fillies Mile, and the hotly contested affair may have unearthed an SA Oaks contender for the local season in the shape of Emirate Gina, who has gone from strength to strength since winning her maiden at her sixth start over 1450m last term.
“She doesn’t know she’s a horse,” quipped Zimbabwe-born veteran trainer Roy Magner after the Winning Form-sponsored Ray Danielson rode a well-judged finish to win the headliner on the 10-1 daughter of Visionaire and register the hat-trick.
After None Other and the top-notch Rock The Fox took ownership going into the final stages, Danielson switched Emirate Gina to the wide outside and she turned it on powerfully to hold a courageous advantage to the line to win by three quarters in a time of 99,33 secs.
None Other (5-1) came right back (or the winner could have been tiring marginally) to run second, ahead of Rock The Fox (10-1) in third.
Ray Danielson and Ry Magner – winning combo under the lights (Pic – JC Photos)
Mike de Kock’s beautifully-bred debut winner Bonette (5-2) stayed on for a 4,60 length fifth and should not be written off as she may have found the lights overwhelming at just her second start.
Winning jockey Raymond Danielson said that it was a meriotorious victory as his mount had turned it on quicker than he had anticipated, but had stayed on smartly.
Trainer Roy Magner said that the mile was on the short side and that his charge would probably go 2400m.
Racing in the silks of Joanne Callaghan, Stuart Robinson and her trainer Roy Magner, the winner was bred by Lammerskraal and is a daughter of Visionaire (Grand Slam) out of the four-time winner Dubai Gina (Dubai Destination). The latter was a game sort who won up to 2400m in the silks of the Truters.
A R250 000 National Yearling Sale buy, Emirate Gina has now won three races with 4 places from 8 starts for stakes of R256 750.
Watch the replay here:
