The Sandown Stud-based champion Pathfork, who has had a wonderful season in 2022-2023, looks to have a potentially top-class two-year-old to his name in the form of Main Defender. The latter made it three wins from three starts when romping home to a facile win in Saturday’s Bloodstock SA Sales Cup (C&G) (1300m) at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
Under Craig Zackey, the gelded Main Defender powered home down the inside of the Greyville track to land Saturday’s first-place prize of R180 000 by over two lengths.
Bred by Jagessar Ltd, Main Defender had won on debut before cantering home to score an impressive win in the Highveld Winter Juvenile Stakes on his only subsequent start.
The gelding, likely to be aimed at the G1 Premiers Champion Stakes at the end of the month, was an R140 000 buy from the 2022 Cape Yearling Sale.
Main Defender, who is out of the Judpot mare Alessia, has now earned R351 875 in prize money.
His sire Pathfork, himself an unbeaten G1 winning champion at two, has had a wonderful season this year. Pathfork’s flagbearers in 2022-2023 include repeat G2 Allied Steelrode -Onamission Mile winner Bingwa, G3 Tony Ruffel Stakes hero Royal Victory and Listed Secretariat Stakes hero Jimmy Don as well as the aforementioned Main Defender.
Pathfork went close to having had an even better season with Royal Victory beaten just a short- head when second in the G2 WSB Gauteng Guineas and son Jimmy Don going down by just a length when runner-up in the G1 WSB SA Classic.