Duncan Howells landed his second Gr 1 victory of the Champions Season when retaining his crown in the Thekwini Stakes over 1600m at Greyville on Saturday with the Elusive Fort filly Lauderdale and jockey Muzi Yeni has certainly grabbed the opportunity of being stable jockey to this powerful yard with both hands as this was his second Graded race win for them in the space of two weeks.

It was the third time Howells had won the Thekwini and was his first Gr 1 winner for a new owner in the yard, Brian “Buffalo Bill” Burnard, who also won this race with the Gavin van Zyl-trained Along Came Polly two years ago.

Lauderdale, who was bred by Dr Jim Antrobus, was pin-hooked by Allan Bloodlines at the Cape Thoroughbred Sales (CTS) March Yearling Sale last year for a mere R40,000. The filly is from the second crop of the Fort Wood stallion Elusive Fort, whose first crop filly Siren’s Call went within a stride of landing this year’s Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara. Lauderdale was later bought by Burnard on the Bloodstock South Africa Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Sale for R220,000.

Lauderdale was sent off at odds of 12/1 on Saturday.

Howells said after the victory that he had been confident of finishing in the first three, “If you watch her last race she broke well from a good draw and then was kept out the whole way, so she had to race flat out the whole 1400m and it was very difficult for her to finish the race. I knew she was crying out for the 1600m and also knew she is quite precocious in herself so thought this would make it a lot easier for her to get a good position before holding her up and making a sprint for home. Muzi, I must hand it to him, rode a great race.”

Yeni got Lauderdale right up there from the off from his tricky daw of eight and it then panned out perfectly when the big striding Mike de Kock-trained Persian Rug went to the front as this enabled Yeni to shadow her about a length behind.

Persian Rug stretched away impressively in the straight and looked to have it won until being confused by the grandstand shadow and digging her toes in. This must have been a heartbreaking moment for owners Nathan Kotzen and Steven Jell, who are assistant trainers to De Kock and own the Ideal World filly together. However, it enabled Lauderdale to pounce from the perfect position on the outside and stay on to win by 0,25 lengths from the Mike Azzie-trained Querari filly Melliflora, who ran on well from midfield under Donovan Dillon. Persian Rug did amazingly well to pick herself up and run on for third and she will undoubtedly be a big horse for the classics this season.

The favourite Chestnuts N pearls, who won the Gr 1 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper over 1400m, stayed on for tie fourth with Flying Ice, who was the other hard luck story of the race as she had to be brought around them into the straight, then switched inward and was a bit tight for room in the last few strides.

Howells commented on how strong Lauderdale was for her age and is an admirer of her honesty. She will qualify for the country’s hitherto richest ever race, the CTS Million Dollar, which is due to be run over 1400m at Kenilworth on January 23 next year. She also qualifies for the R2 million Ready To Run Cup over 1400m at Turffontein on October 31 and will likely go for this season’s fillies classics .

The Burnards were unusually not on course on Saturday having had a family celebration to attend to on their farm, but were represented by on course presenter Warren Lenferna, who has a long association with the Howells yard.

Yeni’s first graded win for the Howells yard was with Cosmic Light in the Gr 2 Debutante Stakes over 1200m at Greyville on July 18. This was another feather in cap for Howells’ partner Cathy Rymill, who selected her at the National Yearling Sale where she was bought for R200,000, as she provided the exciting news season stallion Querari with his first Graded winner. Cosmic Light looks to have tremendous scope and will surely make her presence felt in next season’s classics.

Two years ago Rymill selected Same Jurisdiction at the Suncoast Yearling Sale, before Howells secured her for R270,000. This filly is from the first crop of Mambo In Seattle and proved herself possibly the best filly in the land when winning the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m in ultra classy style on Vodacom Durban July day. Same Jurisdiction won the Thkekwini last year, having earlier won the KZN Yearling Sales Million, and her Johannesburg classic campaign this season was plagued by bad luck. Significantly, the Howells yard also have the probable second best Mambo In Seattle in the land too, the ever improving gelding Saratoga Dancer, selected by Rymill at the Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Sale for a bargain R140,000. Saratoga Dancer looks sure to step up to the top flight this season.

Howells first winner of the Thekwini was Gypsy’s Warning, who was from the second crop of Mogok, and after her victory in this race at Clairwood in 2008 she was sold on and went on to win the Gr 1 SA Fillies Classic and the Gr 1 Matriarch Stakes in the USA.

By David Thiselton