Gr 3 August Stakes Win For Sire Muhtafal

Winner of the Gr 3 August Stakes at the Vaal over the weekend – Here Comes Billy, a gelding who looks the splitting image of his great sire Muhtafal, has put himself forward as a horse with a serious chance of taking home the Gr 2 Emerald Cup. It is the gelding’s third win on the trot.

In a Shadwell-owned sire 1-2 with Muhtafal and Kahal – the Summerhill-bred Uncle Tommy finished second by just over a length to Here Comes Billy at the Vaal over 1200m. It was also a 1-2 for trainer Weiho Mawing, who trained the first two past the finishing post.

Uncle Tommy, (a half-brother to top freshman sire Rebel King and talented filly Rebel Queen – all Summerhill-bred) and Gr 1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint winner Contador (Var) led the charge from Eugenes (Fort Wood), with Here Comes Billy relaxed further back.

Uncle Tommy hesitated momentarily as Contador appeared to get the better of him at the 400m. Like the bighearted warrior that he is, Uncle Tommy found a second breath and came back for more just as his stablemate sailed past down the outside. Here Comes Billy stormed into the lead under the high riding S’manga Khumalo at the 300m marker, and went on strongly to beat the gallant Uncle Tommy in a time of 72,79 secs.

Here Comes Billy has won 4 races with 5 places from 11 starts. He took his stake earnings to R331 700.

A very ‘KZN’ pedigree, Here Comes Billy is bred by Riverworld Stud and was a R120 000 Cape Premier Yearling Sale Book 1 purchase. He is out of the unraced Jet Master mare, Fast Tempo.

A magnificent liver chestnut stallion with phenomenal muscling, Muhtafal stands at Bruce and Delia Le Roux’s Spring Valley Stud in Mooi River, for a fee of R20 000 + Vat.

The only son of the legendary Mr Prospector standing in South Africa – Muhtafal has sired the likes of Paris Perfect, a horse that placed third in the 2009 Gr 1 Dubai World Cup behind Well Armed. Muhtafal has also produced Gr 1 winners’ Outcome, Lets Rock n Roll and Disappear, amongst many other Group winning horses and KZN Breeder Million Mile winner Knock On Wood.

KZN-breds have dominated the Gr 2 Emerald Cup over the past few years, with winners Alimony (Alami – Graystone Stud), The Mouseketeer (Kahal – Bush Hill Stud), Meadow Magic (Mogok – Scott Bros) and Phunyuka (Slew The Red – Summerhill Stud).

– Extract sportingpost.co.za