TWO Australian imports ended their brief two-year-old careers as winners at Turffontein’s inside track on Sunday, the last Gauteng meeting of the 2016/17 season.
Sheikh Hamdan’s filly Awaafy needed the experience when fourth on her 1160m debut at the Vaal a few weeks back and, better for it, won a good race under jockey Ryan Munger sprinting 1.60-lengths clear in a Maiden Plate over 1000m.
“She seems to be improving nicely, she has pace and may stay further, a mile max,” said Mathew de Kock.
Awaafy is by Written Tycoon, a grandson of Last Tycoon particularly effective as a sire of sprinters.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum’s Makroom (Medaglia D’Oro) is bred for further but will be restricted to sprints around the bend for now. He won a 1000m sprint on the bend for Aldo Domeyer and Mathew commented: “He’s quite aggressive at home, he’s been trying to do things backwards and he didn’t like the straight 1400m at the Vaal first time out.
“He tends to pull so we’ll keep him around the turn for now until he settles down but he, too, has scope for more.”