The downgrading of a once revered fillies classic and the fact that it is no longer reserved strictly for three-year-olds, has come with a sting in the tail.
Summer Pudding wins the Woolavington in 2020 (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Without wishing to take anything from the baker’s dozen of runners carded to face the starter, some serious names are missing from the line-up for this weekend’s Tote Gr2 Woolavington 2000, none more so than top three-year-olds Fiery Pegasus and Spumante Dolce.
Joe Soma, the trainer of Fiery Pegasus, makes no secret of the fact that the downgrading of the once revered Woolavington played a huge part in his decision to bypass the race, not to mention the weight penalty she would have incurred as a Gr1 winner of the SA Fillies Classic.
And with the race no longer restricted to three-year-olds, she would have had to take on older fillies as well.
“It used to be a wonderful race to end any three-year-old filly’s classic season,” he lamented, “I finished second with Athina in 2014 and I would have loved to run.”
Fiery Pegasus, who claimed the final two legs of the Triple Tiara, will not race again this season, more’s the pity.
“She’s not a big burly girl and there is always next season to look forward to,” he added.
Trainer Mike de Kock has always maintained that Gr1 glory is the prime target for his top runners, hence the decision to run Spumante Dolce against colts in the Gr1 Daily News 2000 comes as no surprise.
After all, why contest a Gr2 race, when there is a richly endowed Gr1 classic up for grabs?
Grant van Niekerk steers Oh Susanna to a gutsy win as Fiorella (inside) and Lady In Black (Sean Veale) challenge (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The Woolavington has been won by many a champion as reflected by its honour roll, which includes lofty names such as Ipi Tombe, Igugu, Oh Susanna and Summer Pudding, all of which went on to garner the ultimate accolade, that of Horse of the Year.
The Woolavington was first contested in 2001 when it carried Gr2 status and was won by the Jaffee-owned Hoeberg, who by then already had both the Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas and Gr1 SA Fillies Guineas in the bag.
Trained by David Payne, she was a daughter of their champion Petrava and likewise was honoured with a championship.
The race was upgraded to Gr1 status in 2005, not surprising, given that Hoeberg was joined in quick succession by champions Ipi Tombe, Icy Air and Promisefrommyheart .
That the Woolavington has also made a significant impact on the breeding industry can be gauged from the success enjoyed by many of its winners/placed runners.
Promisefrommyheart – ancestress of Saturday’s duo Give Me Everything and Mascherina (Pic – Supplied)
The Oppenheimers’ Oaks winner Carolina Cherry, who chased home Hoeberg, served their Mauritzfontein Stud with distinction as the dam of Champion filly Cherry On Top and grandam of 2020 Woolavington victress Summer Pudding.
Cape Fillies Guineas winner Shadow Dancing, third in the 2005 Woolavington, became the dam of Jet Master’s dual Gr1 winning daughter Thunder Dance, while 2009 second Mother Russia went on to claim four Gr1 wins, including the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.
Her daughter Nother Russia twice won the Gr1 Empress Club Stakes and in turn gave us unbeaten champion Gimme Another, who is now in the States where she placed at Gr2 level in her very first start.
Lammerskraal’s noted broodmare Icy Air counted the 2003 Woolavington amongst her tally of wins and went on to produce Champion Sprinter Russet Air, besides which she is also the grandam of Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas winner Make It Snappy.
Varsfontein’s magnificent champion Promisefrommyheart, who cruised home by 3,50 lengths for Geoff Woodruff in 2004, has cemented her place in racing’s lore as the dam of Master Of My Fate and grandam of Triple Crown winner Malmoos.
Arabian Pearl, who was beaten a neck by Sun Classique in 2007, went on to produce champion stayer Future Pearl.
Third placed Festive Occasion did even better as the dam of the Silvano filly Do You Remember, who avenged her dam’s loss by defeating Blueridge Mountain and Jet Belle in a similar head-bobbing three-way finish to the 2013 Woolavington.
Smart Call was too strong for them (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Jet Belle ultimately had the last laugh at stud however, when her Silvano daughter Silver Darling claimed the 2022 Woolavington by a clear margin and finished third behind champion Rain In Holland twelve months later.
The 2016 Woolavington result also proved an auspicious occasion, considering that the first three past the post have since become stakes producers.
Winner Bela-Bela’s first foal Cia Bella won the Gr2 Western Cape Fillies Championship; runner-up Negroamaro bred Gr1 Daily News 2000 third Barbaresco, while third-placed Nightingale is the dam of dual Gr3 winner Rainbow Lorikeet, who will take her place in Saturday’s line-up.
In fact, this year’s line-up features a number of runners with tangible links to past runners.
Do You Remember holds off Blueridge Mountain to win the 2013 Woolavington (Pic – Supplied)
Tienie Prinsloo’s Miss Platina is closely related to Rainbow Lorikeet, as she is out of Nightingale’s half-sister Bargeme.
Promisefrommyheart features as ancestress of no less than two contestants: Mascherina, who enters the race off a fluent victory in the Listed East Coast Cup, is a half-sister to Malmoos, while Dean Kannemeyer’s Cape Oaks winner Give Me Everything is out of grandaughter My Everything.
Last but not least, 2018 winner Oh Susanna’s first foal, the Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas third Little Suzie, will attempt to emulate her illustrious dam and also continue Drakenstein’s stranglehold on the race, the stud having won it with homebreds Silver Darling, Rain In Holland and Silver Sanctuary these past three years.
