Iluminator, from the Glen Puller stable, is the winner of the inaugural running of the CTS Million Dollar over 1400m on the turf, Africa’s richest thoroughbred race. The bay son of Trippi was ridden by Heavelon van der Hoven, a low percentage apprentice who seized a dream opportunity when replacing indisposed senior jockey, Weichong Marwing.
Puller is a reticent character, but a highly skilled horseman possessing a special touch with thoroughbreds. He accurately rated Illuminator as one of the best he has been associated with soon after the athletic colt won his first two career starts under apprentice van der Hoven in spring 2015. That judgement was vindicated with big money at stake as Illuminator fluently glided down the outside to overhaul favourite Silver Mountain, who was engaged in a robust duel with Victorious Jay in the centre of the course. Seventh Plain ran gamely from a wide draw to get fourth place.
Illuminator was purchased at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale for R180 000 and is a product of champion breeders, Klawervlei Stud. This was his third win from six starts – at current rand/dollar exchange rates this exceptional score lifted his earnings to way over R8 million rand for owners Francis Carruthers and Ian Robinson.
In the Investec Cape Derby (Grade 1) over 2000m held on the same afternoon, It’s My Turn sprung another upset when making a solo run up the outside of the long Kenilworth stretch. He had produced a terrific performance quickening smartly when winning his Maiden on debut at Durbanville, yet three subsequent fails in modest handicap company dampened enthusiasm and Justin Snaith’s entry was priced up a 40/1 long-shot on the exchanges.
Skilfully handled by Piere Strydom, he stayed on stoutly from well off the forceful early pace set by Kemal Kavur to seize control inside the final 200m. Brazuca, who came under desperate urgings a long way out kept on belatedly to sneak second. He finished just ahead of Marinaresco who also arrived late on the scene, together with Black Arthur. The latter, favoured at 12/10 to repeat his score in the recent Politician Stakes, was never travelling comfortably and ended up stuttering into fourth 2.6 lengths behind his less fancied stable mate.
Inara won the other Grade 1 race on the card, when scoring a follow up win in the prestigious Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m. She ran the closing 600m in 35 and change to just beat off Same Jurisdiction, with Lanner Falcon third, in a notable triumph for Drakenstein Stud, who own all three fillies. Winning jockey Grant van Niekerk recorded two Grade 1 victories on this talented daughter of Trippi last season, and the duo with a special affinity repeated their 2015 triumph.
Describing those back to back Majorca victories, albeit after an unsuccessful mid-2015 foray up to Durban, van Niekerk extolled Inara’s virtues, “She never let’s me down. She just never felt the same in KZN, but when back in Cape Town it’s like she grows another leg, and I knew the others would battle to beat her.”