Arch Cape rivals Rascova (Glen Kotzen) and Double Grand Slam (Justin Snaith) provided the Hollywoodbets Greyville midweek audience with a grandstand finish to the R500 000 World Sports Betting Gr2 Fillies Guineas, as the former edged ahead to lead 3-2 in their personal duel after a top notch Craig Zackey ride.
Rascova (Craig Zackey) breaks rival Double Grand Slam’s (Richard Fourie) spirit (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
A slipped saddle at her last start when beaten just over 5 lengths by Double Grand Slam in the Umzimkhulu Stakes at the same venue, meant that Rascova was always a prospect – but the punters didn’t want to know over the mile, and Double Grand Slam went off a red-hot 4 to 10 favourite to make it three feature victories on the trot.
Craig Zackey is riding with supreme confidence and he took the free-striding Rascova up to lead Sovereign Grant and White Pearl, with Double Grand Slam relaxed in midfield.
Things hotted up inside the final 300m as Richard Fourie brought Double Grand Slam down the outside with Rascova looking like a sitting duck. But the cucumber-cool Zackey was holding an ace, and he waited to the last moment as Fourie ranged up alongside, before calling on Rascova to give it her all.
In a breathtaking final 100m the duo got close to each other, before Rascova (5-1) broke her rival’s spirit, edging ahead to win by 0,60 lengths in a time of 95,67 secs.
The pair were over 4 lengths ahead of the rest, with Highveld raider White Pearl (8-1) staying on for third.
Rascova has always been a flagbearer for her late Dad, Lancaster Bomber.
She was the son of War Front’s first winner, his first black type winner – when she won the Listed City Of Cape Town Summer Juvenile Stakes Christophe Soumillon on Met day 2023 – and then cracked his maiden Gr2 accolade with a runaway win in the 2023 Western Cape Fillies Championship.
A R260 000 Cape Yearling Sale graduate, the Cheveley Stud-bred Rascova is out of the five-time winning Western Winter mare, Netsuke.
Now a winner of 4 races with 6 places from 14 starts, Rascova has banked R1 450 938.
Full marks to Glen Kotzen and the Woodhill Racing Team, as well as loyal investors Sandy and Eugene Arundel, who put the memory of Saturday’s disappointment behind them, with a Wednesday that they will remember for a long time.
