Anna Pavlova victory a boost for Goss ahead of annual sale
Anna Pavlova’s win in last Saturday’s grade 3 Three Troikas Stakes at Turffontein was just what the doctor ordered for champion breeder Mick Goss ahead of his Emperors Palace Summer Ready-To-Run sale next week.
More than 100 lots will come under the hammer on Tuesday at Goss’s Summerhill Stud in Mooi River.
The reason Anna Pavlova’s victory — the fourth of her career and first stakes success — was so timely is that Roy Magner’s filly is a graduate of this sale and is looking a real bargain buy at R40,000.
Goss can point to other shrewd purchases at this annual sale with other notable graduates being No Worries, Top Shot, Flyfirstclass, Vulcan, Greasepaint and Isingamoya.
Top Shot has proved a moneyspinner for trainer Gary Alexander while Greasepaint, also trained by Magner, has enjoyed an outstanding career on the Highveld.
Although the big name sires such as Trippi and Dynasty are not represented next week, there is sure to be plenty of interest in the progeny of Visionaire — recently sold to Lammerskraal Stud — as well as the offspring of Summerhill’s impressive band of stallions, which include Golden Sword, Admire Main, Brave Tin Soldier, Traffic Guard and the now-deceased Await The Dawn. A son of Giant’s Causeway, Await The Dawn’s wins came in Ireland, the UK (the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot) as well as Dubai.
Roy Magner will be hoping to keep in the winning groove at the Vaal on Thursday and he sends six runners to the Free State track from his Randjesfontein base.
Pick of the sextet could be All Night Flight with Magner booking top jockey Gavin Lerena to partner the son of ill-fated stallion Noordhoek Flyer who had to be put down following leg complications 10 days ago.
The chief threat to All Night Flight is likely to be Andrew Fortune’s mount Al Azraq, who finished a creditable second at Turffontein on his most recent outing. The four-year-old is trained by Clinton Binda who proved Fortune with a winner in
the form of Flemington at the city track on Tuesday night.
Another runner who enters the reckoning is Clever Guy who represents the Vaal stable of Steve Moffatt. This lightly raced son of Argonaut ran out a five lengths winner of a maiden race here in November.
In the second race, it is surely a pointer to the chance of Summerhill-bred Barouche that Magner has booked Lerena for this juvenile filly’s debut. She is a daughter of Traffic Guard.
In the same race, in which Sean Tarry inmate Desert Rhythm is likely to start favourite, Magner introduces Opera, a daughter of Oratorio.
One of the most competitive races on the nine-event card is the sixth where punters will need to include a number of runners in their exotic perms.
The vote goes to Erico Verdonese’s runner Kahlua Rose who looks ready to notch her third win in her third outing after a rest.
Others with claims in this 1,700m handicap include Barcelona Babe, a winner here before Christmas, Cape Marigold, Wendish and Piere Strydom’s mount Silken.
Muzi Yeni was in red-hot form at Kimberley on Monday booting home five winners and his best chance of success on Thursday may lie with the Kahal gelding Casciano in the seventh race.
Brett Warren’s five-year-old boasts some decent recent form and he is set to receive 7.5kg from the likely favourite Golden Man.