The unstoppable combination of Dean Kannemeyer, Anthony Delpech and Khaya Stables added a Gr 1 to their recent feats when landing the City Of Pietermaritzburg Sprint at Scottsville on Saturday with Real Princess and Kannemeyer described it as an emotional win.

Real Princess (Nkosi Hlophe)

He said later, “I had always said to Lady Christine Laidlaw and Jehan Malherbe this filly WILL get the Gr 1. She had been rolled a few times earlier in her career and I felt she would be better as a four-year-old, she is a big filly and has matured and found her strength. By the end of last season I didn’t quite know what her distance was as she is bred to go 2000m, but she’s a speed horse and has a helluva turn of foot. She ran Carry On Alice to three-quarters of a length over 1000m at Kenilworth, so I thought she could have a big chance today. She loves Scottsville and you have to ride her with confidence and Anthony rode her confidently, because there was always a gap on the outside but he waited until the last 300m of the race and won going away. She has tremendous substance, a deep girth, a beautiful quarter, she’s one of the nicest specimen fillies I’ve ever seen. Lady Laidlaw had always wanted to buy a filly and Jehan and I told her, after viewing Real Princess on the farm before the sale, if you want to see a filly just come with us and have a look at this one.”

The Klawervlei Stud-bred Trippi filly’s sales tag, a staggering R2,7 million, confirmed those sentiments, but she has now proven worth it.

It was Delpech’s sixth Graded success of the SA Champions Season and three of them have been for Kannemeyer and Khaya Stables.

By David Thiselton