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Polly One For The Record Books

3 minute read

South African filly Along Came Polly must have one of the rarest records in the book because she is now a two-time winner and both her successes have come at Grade 1 level.

The Gavin van Zyl-trained three-year-old shed her maiden tag at the highest level last year when winning the G1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m at Greyville.

Last Friday night at Turffontein the Judpot filly scored again, this time in the R1 million G1 Empress Club Stakes over 1600m.

Her record now reads two G1 wins and six places (five in graded races) from 10 career starts. She cost R60,000 as a yearling and her earnings amount to R964,000.

Four three-year-olds were in the field but four-year-old raider Jet Aglow was sent off as favourite.

Geoff Woodruff’s three-year-old charges Arcetri Pink and Not Sulking were next on bookmakers’ boards with Mike de Kock’s 4YO runners Espumanti and Festival Of Fire also quoted in single figures along with Cherry On The Top.

Although it could be argued that jockey Sean Cormack went too soon on Jet Aglow, she had no answer to the finishing kick of Along Came Polly, who was sent to the races in the pink of condition by Gavin van Zyl’s team.

Along Came Polly, who raced in midfield early, was brought with a rails run by jockey S’manga Khumalo and she cruised past the favourite just over 100m from the line.

Van Zyl said: “I’m really proud to have won this race in memory of the late Laurie Jaffee and his wife Jean. I’m a big fan of theirs.

“They were fantastic racehorse owners. They’re examples to all of us.

“This filly, what a horse! To win against the older horses. Wow!

“It was a fantastic ride. S’manga is a great jockey.

“She’s a difficult filly. She’s probably going to retire quite soon – she’s got too many problems so we’ll have to take a real long, hard look at what we do with her.”

Along Came Polly gave national jockeys’ log-leader jockey Khumalo his 133rd win of the season.

It was his second win in the Empress Club Stakes – he won the race on Dancewiththedevil in 2011 – and his seventh G1 victory.

It was also Van Zyl’s seventh G1 victory as a trainer.

Although it will be hard to look past Via Africa if she runs in the R1-million Computaform Sprint in two weeks’ time, Sharp Design put his hand up as a probable place-getter in the important feature on Champions Day when he won the 1000m Pinnacle Stakes.


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