SOUTH AFRICA: Thunder Dance Waltzes To Victory In Paddock Stakes

Trainer Brett Crawford is having the time of his life this week. On Wednesday he led in the first Group winner since he started up on his own, when Polar Bound won the Grade 2 Peninsula Handicap.

And three days later, Thunder Dance provided him with his first Group 1 race, when she won the R1 million, Grade 1 TBA Paddock Stakes(1800m) at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Short priced favourite, Beach Beauty was all the rage and on paper she had the credentials, but there is no such thing as a dead cert in racing. The daughter of Dynasty jumped well, but fought her rider all the way down the back straight as Alec Forbes tried to prevent the mare from being the reluctant leader.

Beach Beauty was having none of it and continued to race unsettled in front. Forbes managed to slow the mare down to try and conserve some energy for the run up the straight into the head wind and slowed the race to a crawl.

Turning for home, the field was content to sit behind Beach Beauty and with the strong wind in their faces there were no challenges until the 300m. With the finish in sight, Karis Teetan set Thunder Dance alight and the three-year-old burst through the middle of the pack to take the lead.

Beach Beauty refused to give up along the standside rail, while We Three under Bernard Fayd'Herbe chased up the inside rail. But the flying daughter of Jet Master had their measure and she crossed the line in front by half a length from Beach Beauty in second. We Three had to settle for third a further 0.3L back.

“There was not much speed in race. She is a gutsy filly, she is still very green but she has a nice turn of foot. She can pick it up, so when they started sprinting she could go with them”, said Teetan

“She was always the filly with the most scope to improve. She has done nothing wrong. She had a fantastic preparation and I knew she would be fit and well in the day. I always felt that this is the trip that she has been crying for”, added Crawford

Thunder Dance delivered her fourth victory from seven starts for owner breeders Klawervlei Stud (Pty) Ltd, pushing her earnings from a measly R199 255 to R824 255. The Jet Master filly is out of the Fort Wood mare Shadow Dancing, who herself excelled at three, winning the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas(1600m).

Final results:

7 THUNDER DANCE Karis Teetan 54.0 1 0.00 117.74 9/2

1 WE THREE Bernard Fayd'Herbe 60.0 6 0.80 117.90 28/1