Andrew Harrison

WAR OF ATHENA AND MALMOOS made light work of the Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks and WSB SA Derby respectively at Turffontein today. It was a rare international double with both horses completing their respective Triple Crowns on the same afternoon.

War Of Athena, a R30 000 yearling purchase for Mr R S Wentzel & Dr R E Waterman-Wentzel, collected a R1 million bonus for winning all three legs of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara and Malmoos earned his connections a R3 million bonus for all three legs of the Triple Crown. Malmoos raced in the silks of the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum.

Both horses simply destroyed their opposition.

Muzi Yeni was sitting with a double handful at the top of the long Turffontein straight, but once he released the handbrake on Paul Matchett’s filly, she simply strode clear with Yeni looking both sides for opposition and celebrating victory 100 m out.

Malmoos delivered a similar performance as Mike de Kock’s charge shook off the opposition some 400m out and strode to the line with five lengths to spare that could have been extended to a lot more had rider Luke Ferraris asked for more.

Ferraris has enjoyed a phenomenal start to his professional career, winning the Gr1 Cape Town Met and now the Triple Crown at the tender age of 19.

Yeni had a lucrative payday as he steered Got The Greenlight to victory in the Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes.  Second in last year’s Vodacom Durban July, Joey Soma is sure to be looking to set the record straight come Hollywoodbets Greyville on the first Saturday in July.

Got The Greenlight had to fight hard for his win as the year-younger Copper Mountain, third to Malmoos in the Gr2 WSB Gauteng Guineas, pressed him all the way to the line, underlining the strong form of this year’s three-year-old crop.