DASHING Scarlet (photo) gave the Cape Thoroughbred Sales Company (CTS), a well-timed promotional boost when romping home on her 1400m debut on turf at the Vaal on Thursday.

Mary Slack’s three-year-old grey filly is a graduate of the 2012 CTS Cape Premier Yearling Sale and several more buyers will be flipping through their catalogues when the company presents the first session of its Cape Ready To Run Sale at Durbanville today (Friday 22 November).

Dashing Scarlet is by the recently deceased Western Winter, who will be smiling down from Horse Heaven having enjoyed the rare honour of being the first suitor to court  former multiple Equus Champion mare Dancer’s Daughter, and doing a good job at that!

Dashing Scarlet: Another promising grey filly for Mary Slack.

Dancer’s Daughter, remembered for her tenacity and powerful gallop, won ten races and near R4-million in stakes, dead-heating with Pocket Power in a most memorable finish to the 2008 Vodacom Durban July.

Mary secured Dashing Scarlet for R1-million and while her first return of R50,000 leaves some way to go, the early signs are good.  One of Mike de Kock”s primary early objectives will be to secure black type for Dashing Scarlet, who will have a place reserved for her in the paddocks at Wilgerbosdrift when her career comes to an end.

That’s a few years and hopefully several good wins away, however, and she will be watched with keen interest.  Assistant trainer Mathew de Kock commented on the Vaal win, saying: “Dashing Scarlet has ability and her win came as no surprise to us. She raced with some maturity, not putting a foot wrong. She’s very nice but we can never make predictions at an early stage like this. We’ll take things step by step with her and keep our fingers crossed that she develops into something special.”

Dashing Scarlet was bred by Highlands Farm Stud.