Grape Shot fires away

Her name refers to small iron balls fired from a cannon, and Grape Shot produced a fiery display when winning her Maiden in her second career outing with a strong and well-timed run under JP van der Merwe at Turffontein on Saturday.

Grape Shot started at long odds, 33-1, despite Mike’s pre-race assessment that her first run had to be ignored because she was shin sore after the race, and that she was expected to improve.

Mike said: “I got more confident when I saw her rivals in the parade ring, I was a bit more confident as I don’t think the field was as good as it was stacked up to be. She won well, she fetched the leader who wasn’t stopping. She is by Fire Away out of a half-sister to Igugu, by High Chaparal, and I think she’ll see out a mile.”

Jockey JP van der Merwe confirmed that Grape Shot would enjoy a bit extra and said she was “nice, and moved well”.

Grape Shot races for a partnership including Mike, Larry Nestadt, Wayne Jackson, Dr John and Amanda McVeigh and Noeline Malherbe, as well as Wilgerbosdrift Stud (nom: Mary Slack).

She was bred by Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein.