Wilgerbosdrift’s inform stallion Flower Alley came up with a good looking pair of winners at the Vaal on Thursday afternoon.
The former G1 Travers Stakes winner’s first success came courtesy of his enigmatic son Reunion, with the latter romping home to a clear-cut win in Thursday’s sixth race, the Guineas Day 5 February Progress Plate (1800m).
Under recent Met winning jockey Gavin Lerena, the Paul Peter trained Reunion was always up with the pace and the charismatic gelding quickened up well in the closing stages to defeat Uncle Mo’s son Motown Magic by an easy three lengths.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, four-year-old Reunion (who won by more than 10 lengths on debut) has now won four times and he looks unlikely to stop here.
A standout in the canter past, Reunion is out of the talented Fort Wood mare Ilha Bela.
Flower Alley’s second success on Thursday came in the very next race, when his progressive daughter Cheringoma landed a convincing win in the Computaform Online FM 72 Apprentice Handicap (F&M) (1600m).
The Stuart Pettigrew trained three-year-old stayed too strongly for her rivals, and, under Philasande Mxoli, went on to win by just over a length.
Winner of her last two races in a row, the Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein bred Cheringoma has now won two of just four starts.
She is one of several very smart three-year-old fillies representing Flower Alley this season, with others including G3 Sea Cottage Stakes runner up Clafoutis and the smart Perfect Witness. (Both Clafoutis and Perfect Witness contest Saturday’s G2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas).
Sire of more than 50 black type horses (including this season’s graded stakes winners Bold Fortune and Firealley, Flower Alley has a single lot on Sunday’s Cape Premier Yearling Sale, and seven lots on the Cape Yearling Sale.