The Rafeef purple patch continued in the 2025 Champions Season opener at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday when the champion son of Redoute’s Choice produced another crackerjack performer in the shape of Mon Petit Cherie who won the R500 000 World Sports Betting Gr2 Fillies Guineas.
Richard Fourie drives Mon Petit Cherie to a courageous win as Be Merry (Muzi Yeni, outside) stays on well for third (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Successful in the 2024 Gr2 Western Cape Fillies Championship, the Crawford charge who is raced by Ridgemont and Devin Heffer, confirmed her status amongst the top of her generation with a gutsy win after a tricky passage.
Ridden with supreme confidence from midfield by Ridgemont’s SA Champion jockey Richard Fourie as Be Merry and Frozen Fantasy led the charge, Mon Petit Cherie (9-2) powered into top gear in the home straight and went on strongly to withstand a solid late challenge from the accomplished Highveld raider Spumante Dolce (13-10) by 0,40 lengths in a time of 98,28 secs.
The Snaith’s Be Merry (20-1) stayed on gallantly for third a half length back, with the badly drawn Give Me Everything (14-1) coming from way off the action to run fourth.
The winner’s boom sire Rafeef has enjoyed an extraordinary few months and just a week earlier at Turffontein his daughters Chasing Happiness and Mrs Browning, dominated the R500 000 Gr2 TAB Senor Santa Stakes, filling the exacta in the 1160m contest.
At Hollywoodbets Scottsville last Sunday, Rafeef registered his 24th stakes winner when the Lucinda Woodruff-trained 3yo Mai Sensation won the Gr3 Dennis Drier Poinsettia Stakes. Last Monday at Hollywoodbets Greyville, Rafeef claimed 4 winners on the nine-race programme, courtesy of Crafty Croft, Rani Tarabai, National Dream and Drive By.
A winning combination – James Crawford, Craig Kieswetter, Richard Fourie and Devin Heffer (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Now a winner of 3 of her 8 races with 4 places and stakes of R717 876, the exciting Mon Petit Cherie is out of the Galileo mare Exotic, who won over 2400m in Ireland.
While she has never gone further than a mile, Mon Petit Cherie looks likely to go the 2000m – so it’s exciting times!
