Drakenstein Stud’s consistently successful What A Winter, Leading Sire of 2YOs in South Africa last season, had a memorable afternoon at Turffontein on Saturday, when his progeny won the fifth and sixth races respectively.
His very classy five-year-old daughter Hello Winter Hello made a winning debut for her new connections in Gauteng when storming home to account for some very speedy fillies and mares in Saturday’s Listed Gardenia Stakes (1000m) at Turffontein.
Now in the care of Johan Janse Van Vuuren, the former Adam Marcus trained mare was also making her first start since finishing eighth in last season’s G1 South African Fillies Sprint –and handsomely reversed the form with her Fillies Sprint conqueror Singforafa.
Given a superbly timed ride by Warren Kennedy, Hello Winter Hello was dropped well off the pace, as the likes of Singforafa, Bella Chica and Anna Capri all raced prominently early.
Singforafa, who had won last year’s Gardenia, looked on course to defend her title with 200m left to go, but Kennedy launched Hello Winter Hello with a potent late run, and the pair flashed up late to score by two lengths going away.
Bred by the Collins Stud, Hello Winter Hello claimed the 2021 Gardenia Stakes in a time of 57.23 seconds.
The mare, bred on the same What A Winter/Dominion Royale cross as former G3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery winner Dutch Philip, has now won six of her 16 starts, with Hello Winter Hello’s previous scores including both the Listed Laisserfaire Stakes and Listed Olympic Duel Stakes of 2020.
Her four time G1 winning sire What A Winter had previously enjoyed success at Turffontein on Saturday when his very smart son Winter Stories accounted for a high-class field in the RA Tops Up Feature Race Stakes Progress Plate (1000m). The Paul Peter trained gelding, who had been runner up in last season’s G3 Wilgerbosdrift Tommy Hotspur Handicap, made it four wins from 13 starts when defeating Sheldon by half a length in Saturday’s sprint. The four-year-old Winter Stories had previously enjoyed a notable payday when victorious in the 2020 KZN Yearling Sale Million.
Original article written by Cape Breeders Club