Tobie Spies’ Basilius caught the eye at the Vaal on Thursday when he stayed on powerfully to register his second win from six starts to win an MR72 Handicap over 1200m,
Potala Palace in action in the 2013
Ridden by Muzi Yeni, the Pecan Hill Stud-bred 3yo is out of the Spectrum mare Fashion Queen and looks progressive.
He is yet another winner for the Cape-based Singspiel stallion, Potala Palace.
His winners include the 4yo Russian Prince, who followed up on his maiden win with a facile Assessment Plate success at the Vaal last Tuesday.
A son of Ridgemont Highlands’ Gr1 winning stallion Potala Palace, who was trained by Mike Azzie in his track career, Russian Prince has earned at all his five starts and has won his last two outings by an aggregate 8,10 lengths.
Three days after the Vaal success, Potala Palace’s two-year-old daughter Great Achievement made a smart winning debut when she won the first race at Fairview – a maiden juvenile plate for fillies over 1000 metres. She was the first 2yo runner for Potala Palace this season.
Always up with the pace, the Charles Ndlovu ridden filly showed heart to fight back and win her first outing by three-parts of a length over another well bred first-timer, and favourite, Mendocino.
Both are trained by Alan Greeff. Bred by Highlands, Great Achievement is out of the Al Mufti mare Full Performance.
Winner of the Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes at two and the Gr3 Joburg Spring Challenge at five, Potala Palace, who is from the same female line as the likes of Sadler’s Wells and Nureyev, got off to a good start at stud with his first crop including the likes of Gr3 BMW Politician Stakes runner up Senatla, R700 000 plus earner Palace Chapel, feature race winner Dalai’s Promise and the stakes placed filly Watsonia.
Potala Palace, whose half-sister Front And Centre won the 2018 Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas in impressive style, has a single lot on offer at March’s Cape Yearling Sale – a half-brother (Lot 92) to 2 winners including recent scorer Lady Of Liberty.
