Bloodstock South Africa graduate Missisippi Burning showed her class, when romping home to a facile and hugely impressive win in the G1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Bred by Rathmor Stud, the three-year-old daughter of Captain Al was given a superb ride by Craig Zackey, who bought his mount with a strong late challenge down the inside of the track before the pair bounded clear to post a facile three length win.

The Mario Ferreira owned Missisippi Burning provided trainer Adam Marcus with his first G1 success, and with a second graded race triumph on Saturday.

Now a winner of four of only seven races (she has won her last three in a row), the diminutive Missisippi Burning was a R380 000 buy (pictured above) from the 2018 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale, and Saturday’s triumph took the filly’s earnings to R794 052.

A third Cape Fillies Guineas winner for deceased champion sire Captain Al, Missisippi Burning is out of the stakes placed Hussonet mare Spitfire Lady who was purchased by Kerry Jack on behalf of Rathmor in Australia – who won four times up to 1600 metres and who ran second in the Listed Flying Handicap.

Congratulations to all concerned!

Summerhill-bred Visionaire filly Takingthepeace has once again stamped KZN Breeders in Gauteng, with a dominating run in the Gr2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas (the first leg of the Triple Tiara), a race previously won by the likes of Heaps Of Fun (a Summerhill-bred daughter of Visionaire).

Under Callan Murray, the Mike De Kock-trained Takingthepeace is owned in partnership by the maestro trainer himself, Michael Shea (a son of jockey Kevin Shea) and Mr Makepeace. The three year old filly sold for R280 000 at the CTS Ready To Run Sale under the name Sagana as Lot 121.

The bay filly is out of Lisa Anne by Rambo Dancer, in turn out of a Complete Warrior mare. This is the damline of Well Dressed and African Appeal.

Summerhill Stud have produced 85 winners this season, and are currently on an equal footing with Klawervlei in the winners to runners percentages. Klawervlei are the current National Log Leaders of leading breeders by Stakes Earned with Summerhill following hot  on their heels.

This is the fourth win for Takingthepeace, who has earned R 800,125 in stakes from eight starts. She has yet to be out of the money from all of her starts with four wins and four places.

A big congratulations to all concerned and well done to the breeders, Summerhill Stud.

The KZN-bred fillies racing on Saturday’s big Gr1 sprint day at Scottsville include several entries into the Gr1 Allan Robertson, whilst Paul and Beth Gadsby-trained Vision To Kill will contest the Gr1 South African Fillies Sprint.

The daughter of Kildonan, bred and owned by ex Chairman of Gold Circle Robert Mauvis in partnership with Sam Osman, born and raised at Yellow Star Stud.

Koos De Klerk of Yellow Star Stud recently said as he stood looking at the foaling barn (whilst Paddy Kruyer inspected their yearlings for the upcoming KZN Yearling Sale at Sibaya Casino), that produced Futura and Dancewiththedevil (the latter in a stallion share scenario with Craig Ramsay and St John Gray) that he wished to have a bronze plaque made remembering these great Gr1 winning horses that were born in the modern red brick barn – “but we are waiting for Vision To Kill to capture a Grade 1 first(!),” he says with a chuckle.

Vision To Kill will be ridden by Muzi Yeni, the recent winner of the Gr2 Betting World 1900 aboard Ten Gun Salute. Racing over 1200m and remembering that her own sire blitzed the course record at Scottsville in the Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint over the likes of previous winners JJ The Jetplane, the filly has won three and placed twice, unlucky to finish half a length behind The Secret Is Out in the Gr3 Poinsettia Stakes over 1200m at Scottsville.

Ashburton trainer Paul Gadsby was concerned the three-and-a-half metre strip on the inside which was protected at the last meeting would now “be like gold” and everybody would be trying to dive on to it.

Gadsby confirmed the Kildonan three-year-old Vision To Kill would be the elect of his two runners in the race. Gadsby felt Vision To Kill was a touch unlucky last time over course and distance in the Gr 3 Poinsettia Stakes when flying late and being beaten 0,5 lengths by The Secret Is Out. “I felt the winner had a clear run the whole way and we did not,” he said.

However, Vision To Kill will now be 3kg worse off, as The Secret Is Out was carrying a Gr1 penalty in that race. Vision To Kill will also be 2kg worse off with Live Life, whom she beat by a short-head. One factor favouring Vision To Kill is she clearly loved the step up to 1200m and jockey Muzi Yeni will now know that, whilst he went into the last race unclear whether she would enjoy the step up from 1000m.

Vision To Kill has a low draw of two. However, Gadsby said if the going on the inside does prove on the day “to be gold” he was not sure whether this would work for or against Vision To Kill as she might in that case have to be used up early to hold her position.

The Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship is represented with several KZN fillies including Brave Mary (Brave Tin Soldier), 4-time on the trot winner Daring Diva (King Of Kings), Twelve Oaks (Pathfork – Graystone Stud) and Victory Trip (Trippi – Rathmor Stud).

The Gr1 Allan Robertson has been won in the past with the likes of KZN-bred Chocolicious. Brave Mary is trained by Paul Matchett and bred by Rupert Plersch, the filly out of exceptional broodmare sire, Rich Man’s Gold. The filly has four times at the Vaal and Turffontein to win and place in three of her starts, over 1000m – 1160m.

Daring Diva is an exciting entry; the Gerald Kalil-bred and owned filly by King Of Kings out of Delightful Diva is by the speed king of his day, The Sheik. Trained by Barend Botes, the filly has been no slouch winning her first four starts on the trot including the Ruffian Stakes Listed. She has approximately a winning length of almost 10 lengths from her first four starts, and her last start saw her finish third to Green Plains just two lengths off. This will be her first KZN start.

Twelve Oaks is bred by St John Gray of Graystone Stud, who has bred, owned and trained several champions including five-time Gr1 winner, Dancewiththedevil. The Pathfork filly was born and raised on St John’s behalf at Cathy and Jonathan Martin’s Hadlow Stud.

St John should never be ignored when raiding and is a shrewd conditioner of prepping horses for feature races, hardly ever going home empty handed. His smart filly has won twice from three starts and finished just four lengths off Green Plains in the Gr2 SA Fillies Nursery. Out of Land Of Wilkes by Diesis, she is a half-sister to three other winners.

Victory Trip will be flying the flag for breeder Rathmor Stud, who recently had a stunning National Yearling Sale and achieved a staggering average of over R525 000 for eight yearlings sold.

The Dennis Bosch-trained filly owned by Mario Ferreira will likely find herself a future match for their outstanding sire Noble Tune; the cross of [his sire] Unbridled’s Song and Trippi mares already Gr1 successful with dual Gr1 winning grey stallion Liam’s Map at Lane’s End (who stands alongside Noble Tune’s own dual Gr1 winning half-brother, Honor Code).

Victory Trip’s Noble Tune half-brother sold for R220 000 at the National Yearling Sale to Team G Racing – out of the very well-bred Solskjaer mare, Victory Garden, from one of Summerhill’s leading families that produced Imbongi, Spring Garland and American winner, Mahubo amongst others.

Victory Trip shed her maiden tag in her last start, after three close places from her first four starts. She maintains Eric Ngwane as her jockey and he will have the advantage of knowing her well after riding her in four of her previous five starts, including her win – the first over 1200m which she relished.

Saturday is one of the highlights on the Champions Season’s calendar and we look forward to the results!

Rhododendron won impressively, coming off them and quickening away in the last two furlongs to an impressive Gr1 victory for her sire Galileo and trainer Aiden O’ Brein, who trained the second horse also by Galileo, Hydrangea – the latter also second in the Gr2 Debutante to Rhododendron.

Warwick Render of Bush Hill Stud commented that Flying The Flag has “a very good book of mares coming to him this season, and the bookings are still coming in – and we are really pleased that he has lots of mares currently in foal!”

The full siblings are by super sire Galileo out of the triple Gr1 winning mare Halfway To Heaven by Pivotal. Rhododendron has won the Gr2 Debutante previously and recently placed third in the Gr1 Moyglare Stud Stakes. It isn’t surprising that Halfway To Heaven visits Galileo once again this coming season.

International globe-trotting Flying The Flag, a big handsome chestnut is a very exciting prospect at stud in South Africa where his immediate family is making their mark at the highest echelons, won the Gr3 International Stakes and placed second in the Gr2 Futurity, with thirds in the London News and Glencairn Stakes respectively.

Rhododendron is now the favourite for the 1000 Guineas next year, over the same course and distance.

Flying The Flag stands for a fee of R20 000 this season at Bush Hill Stud.