Drakenstein Stud’s multiple Equus Champion What A Winter has made a blistering start to the 2018-2019 season and the four time G1 winner was at it again at Kenilworth this past Saturday.

What A Winter fillies opened and closed the Kenilworth meeting, with his daughter Pippielangkous winning Saturday’s first race and What A Winter filly Durty Nelly landing the eighth and final race on the card.
Both fillies were ridden to victory by Donovan Dillon.

Making just her second racecourse outing, 3yo Pippielangkous made all the running to shed her maiden impressively, winning by 3.75 lengths over 1000m. The speedy Erhard Strooh bred filly, who is out of the Special Preview mare La Special, had been second on debut to R3.6 million buy Varsity Lover.

What A Winter’s second winner on Saturday came when his Michael Robinson trained daughter Durty Nelly prevailed in a thrilling finish, when scoring a short head victory over promising filly Margrethe over 1200 metres.
Bred by Eclipse Racing& Breeding, the lightly raced filly, a R90 000 buy from the 2017 March Yearling Sale, has now won two in a row, and has won two of just three starts to date.

South Africa’s Champion First Crop Sire of 2016-2017, What A Winter has made a blistering start to his stud career, with his first crop included the stakes winners Dutch Philip, Fort Winter and Magical Wonderland, and his second the brilliant G3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery winning filly Clouds Unfold. The latter, who has won three of four starts, was one of the fastest 2yos seen out in Cape Town last season –and is the second Cape Nursery, from as many crops, sired by What A Winter.