Jo Malone powers home under Anthony Delpech to win the non black-type feature (JC Photos)
South Africa’s 2014/15 Zimbabwe champion trainer Corne Spies is a master of the sand and he produced the 4yo Jo Malone in a galloping mood after an eight week rest to score a runaway victory in the R125 000 Sandy Beach Stakes at the Vaal on Saturday.
The multiple juvenile stakes placed daughter of Tiger Ridge was having only her second run on the doomed surface and came out fresh and firing on all cylinders in the non black-type fillies and mares contest.
On a day when very few horses ran on from off the pace, Avontuur-sponsored jockey Anthony Delpech, with his copybook straight-back riding style, had Jo Malone out of the stalls in a hurry and turning for home she led the charge and was always going like a boeing.
Corne Spies – always effective on the sand
Delpech gave her the office at the 300m and the Wilgerbosdrift bred 4yo simply increased her advantage to win easing up by 4,75 lengths in a time of 72,99 secs.
Very impressive stuff indeed!
The outsider Julie Doolittle got the better of a brief squabble with the favourite Usisi by a length, to run second and maintain the Bipot momentum. The exotic eventually paid R77 000.
Usisi failed to repeat the late dash spark of her previous run and stayed on tamely into third.
Jo Malone is a R300 000 National Yearling Sale graduate and was registering her second win with 5 places from 9 starts, for gross stakes of R180 875.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift, she is by the ill-fated Tiger Ridge out of the lightly raced Fort Wood mare Loofah, a three time winner.
Jo Malone should pay to follow in the coming Vaal sand features.
