Klipdrif’s Equus Champion and successful resident sire Elusive Fort enjoyed a memorable treble over the weekend, with his trio highlighted by a smart feature race win by 3yo daughter Freedom Charter.
Bred by part-owner Peter de Beyer, Freedom Charter produced an impressive turn of foot to get up to win Saturday’s G3 Champagne Stakes at Kenilworth over the weekend.
She was one of two daughters of Elusive Fort to contest the Champagne Stakes, with sixth place finisher Over Again another by the son of Fort Wood.
One of four winners on the day for jockey Aldo Domeyer, Freedom Charter flew up to late to deny Nordic Breeze a repeat Champagne Stakes win by a short head, with multiple stakes winners Goodtime Gal and Call To Account third and fourth respectively.
The Candice Bass-Robinson trained filly, picking up the first feature win of her career, had been fourth, to subsequent Winter Oaks winner Fresnaye, in the Highlands Stud Stormsvlei Mile last time out and was dropping back to 1200m for Saturday’s race.
Now a 3 time winner, Freedom Charter is out of the winning Captain Al mare Betty Burke and is thus a full-sister to Sophomore Sprint winner Ernie.
Her sire Elusive Fort has a top class crop of 3yos this season, and Freedom Charter is the third graded winner to have emerged from this crop following G3 Vasco Prix du Cap winner Elusive Heart and G2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks winner Secret Potion.
She was one of two Kenilworth winners on Saturday for the triple G1 winning Elusive Fort, whose promising 2yo son Lanza made it back to back wins when landing a juvenile plate over 1200m for trainer Glen Kotzen.
Lanza is one of two juvenile winners for Elusive Fort this weekend, with the latter also responsible for the Wilgerbosdrift bred Chitengo who romped home to win by 4.8 lengths over 1600m at Turffontein on Sunday.
Elusive Fort, whose own sister Esprit is dam of recent G1 Vodacom Durban July third Elusive Silva, has 14 classy lots on offer at the National Two Year Old Sale in August. His draft includes a filly from the family of champion Hot Ticket and Met winner Hill Fifty Four (Lot 42), a filly whose dam is a half-sister to top class performers Rodoille and Blue Tiger (Lot 161), and a filly from the same family as filly standouts Imperious Sue, Imperious Star and Real Princess (Lot 268).