SHEIKH Hamdan’s Royal Ridge, gelded, put in the kind of performance always expected of him when he spreadeagled the opposition in a Maiden Plate over 1160m at Turffontein on Tuesday.

The flashy son of Tiger Ridge (headline photo) hit the line 11.75 lengths clear in the hands of Anton Marcus, winning like a 9-20 favourite should win.

“I don’t have much to say,” Marcus told the interviewer. “I was just the pilot, now we know why Royal Ridge started at short odss in all his starts so far!”

Mike de Kock added: “He shows us a lot at home and perhaps we’ll keep him down the straight, it looks like this is his game.”

Royal Ridge was bred by Frank Sharp from the mare Princess Faberge, herself a five-time winning black-type mare by Jallad up to 1400m.

Governor General (Muzi Yeni), holds off Mighty Oak. (Gold Circle).

Governor General had won his Maiden earlier on the same day at Scottsville after a battle with Mighty Oak.

He was quietly fancied when finishing unplaced over the course and distance on 26 November and Mike said: “He was green in heavy going that day and we knew he was better than that. Muzi Yeni rode a very good race on him this time, well done to him.”

Governor General, by Strike Smartly, was bred by Chris Saunders, who races him in partnership with Lady O’Reilly.