Wilgerbosdrift’s resident stallion Flower Alley is the sire of outstanding race mare Princess Calla. The latter claimed the fourth G1 win of her illustrious career when downing an outstanding field to win the G1 The HKJC Champions Cup (1800m) run at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday.
Winner of the G1 South African Fillies Sprint and G1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes in her two previous starts, the Sean Tarry-trained Princess Calla proved that the 1800m of Sunday’s race was no problem when she scored a famous victory.
Under Richard Fourie, who has yet to lose on her, Princess Calla hit the front in Sunday’s R1.25 million contest 300m from home and the five-year-old kept going strongly to hold off favourite, and dual G1 winner, See It Again to win convincingly by just over a length and a quarter.
In landing the 2023 Champions Cup, Princess Calla accounted for six G1 winners including See It Again, Trip Of Fortune and Al Muthana.
The Maine Chance Farms bred mare, who is out of the Captain Al mare Princess Royal, has now won 11 of 23 starts, with Princess Calla having won six graded races in 2022-2023 alone!
Princess Calla, also victorious in the 2022 G1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes, now looks on track for Equus Award honours, with Sunday’s win having also given the mare claims to the Horse Of The Year title.
She is one of more than 30 stakes winners sired by Flower Alley, whose progeny claimed 12 black-type races in South Africa during the 2022-2023 racing season. His other flagbearers this past season include dual Oaks winner None Other and G2 WSB Gerald Rosenberg Stakes victress Gilded Butterfly. The latter also finished third in Sunday’s G2 Riding High Together Gold Bracelet.
Flower Alley has four lots on offer at the 2023 August Two Year Old Sale, including a full-brother (Lot 273) to the aforementioned None Other.