Jockey Diego De Gouveia made it a G1 double when he booted home Sentbydestiny (17-2) to land the G1 Premiers Champion Stakes (1600m) at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday.
One of four runners sired by Master Of My Fate in the field, Sentbydestiny provided trainer Candice Dawson with a breakthrough G1 winner when she stormed through late to score a surprise victory.
A third graded winner on the day for breeders Varsfontein Stud, following Erik The Red (G2 Umkhomazi Stakes) and Anything Goes (G1 Thekwini Stakes), Sentbydestiny came into Saturday’s G1 feature for three-year-olds off a sixth place finish in the G2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper and was expected by many pundits to find her male rivals too strong.
However, under a strong ride from De Gouveia, the filly powered home to down her male rivals and land the biggest win of her four race career.
Favourite Tempting Fate, an impressive winner of his only three previous starts, was sent out to make the running, as jockey Sean Veale tried to overcome his mount’s poor draw of 11. The Master Of My Fate colt went out to make a slow pace, but compounded 400m from home and fell away to finish sixth –albeit only two lengths off the winner.
Last out Golden Horseshoe winner Nourbese (13-2) tried to come through a gap at the rail as the favourite faded, and the son of Futura looked a likely winner until Diego De Gouveia produced Sentbydestiny with a late flourish and the pair got up to score by just under half a length.
Nourbese confirmed his last win with another game showing in second, with the well bred Dynasty colt Crimson King (40-1) stamped himself as a horse to follow by flying from the clouds to take third –just over half a length behind the winning filly.
Now a winner of two of only four starts, Sentbydestiny claimed her maiden G1 race in a time of 97.18.
The filly, a second G1 winner for G2 Premier Trophy/G2 Peninsula Handicap winning sire Master Of My Fate following Tempting Fate, was an R80 000 buy from the 2019 National 2YO Sale.
Sentbydestiny, a full-sister to East Cape Derby winner American Princess, is the ninth winner, and fifth stakes winner, produced by the stakes placed Badger Land mare Princess Tobin.
