Wilgerbosdrift’s proven G1 sire Flower Alley was responsible for his first South African winners on Saturday, when his 2yo daughters Keep Smiling and Rille won impressively at Turffontein and Kenilworth respectively.
The Sean Tarry trained Keep Smiling became Flower Alley’s very first South African winner when she flew up late to land a maiden juvenile plate for fillies at Turffontein on Saturday. Bred by Varsfontein Stud, the well related Keep Smiling defied greenness to post a neck win, going away, under apprentice Khabelo Matsunyane over 1200 metres.
The promising Keep Smiling, a R575 000 purchase from the 2018 National Yearling Sale, had stayed on nicely for third at her only other start and she looks a promising sort in the making.
Just minutes later, another two-year-old daughter of Flower Alley found the winners enclosure, when the Dean Kannemeyer trained Rille made an eye catching winning debut at Kenilworth.
Under jockey Keagan De Melo, the Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein bred Rille produced a breath-taking turn of foot to fly up from nowhere and land a maiden juvenile plate for fillies over 1200m in exciting style.
Her G1 Travers Stakes winning sire Flower Alley has now been represented by seven first crop runners in South Africa this season, of which five have either won or finished in the money.
A son of champion US sire Distorted Humor, Flower Alley left behind over 40 stakes horses during his stint at Three Chimneys Farm, with his progeny headed by the G1 Kentucky Derby winning champion I’ll Have Another and Canadian champion Lukes Alley.