She can run a bit!

Following Sunday’s G2 Mike de Kock Ipi Tombe Challenge over 1600m at Turffontein, all of five exceptional fillies have claims to being the best three-year-old filly in the land. Sunday’s winner, Gimme A Nother, G1 winner Bavarian Beauty (scratched from the Ipi Tombe), the Cape stars Beach Bomb and Red Palace, and Gimme A Nother’s stable companion Silver Sanctuary. Who is the best of the five, and will they get to meet in a race, soon?

This is a question nobody can answer at present, since no immediate next engagements have been confirmed for any of the five, but what a mouthwatering prospect it would be seeing any combination of this handful of high-quality fillies face the starter in the same contest! There’s the Majorca and the Paddock Stakes coming up in the Cape, the Gauteng Triple Tiara after that – and red-blooded racing fans will be eagerly awaiting entries and final fields. If only we had a crystal ball!

With her facile Ipi Tombe win, which took her unbeaten run to four, Mike de Kock’s Gimme A Nother would have gained many fans. She simply pulverised a competitive field of older fillies and mares, not hard to call with her handy galloping weight but, like, almost scary in her easy manner of victory.

Sporting Post reported: Tracking Marigold Hotel and Emirate Gina all the way around in the Ipi Tombe, Gimme A Nother (7-10) was given her head at the 400m marker and made light of the threat of her older rivals as she simply drew away to win unextended, beating the accomplished Feather Boa (4-1) by 4,75 lengths in a time of 98,7 secs.

A daughter of Gimmethegreenlight, Gimme A Nother is a fairytale on her own as a third generation stakes winner trained by Mike de Kock.

Mary Slack purchased Gimme A Nother’s grandam Mother Russia from Klawervlei Stud as a dual Gr1 winner of the Fancourt Majorca and Empress Club Stakes.

Mother Russia duly rewarded her new owner with victory in the Gr1 Paddock Stakes and in what was arguably the highlight of her star-studded career, the coveted Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, a memorable occasion given that she thwarted the mighty Pocket Power’s bid of a fifth consecutive victory in the celebrated mile race.

There were high hopes for the champion daughter of Windrush when she retired to her owner’s Wilgerbosdrift paddocks as a four-time Gr1 winner. However, racing and breeding is fraught with incredible highs and the heartbreak that is the flip side, hence it was not just a cruel blow when Mother Russia died at age ten, her innings as a broodmare yielded just a single foal by Tiger Ridge.

Fortunately, that foal, a filly named Nother Russia, is keeping the flame alive.

Like her mom before her, she joined the De Kock stable but raced in the colours of Jessica Jell, who had purchased the chestnut from the Wilgerbosdrift draft for R550 000 at the National Yearling Sale.

She ended up a dual Gr1 winning eight-time winner, and won Sunday’s feature in 2017.

Happy connections, post-race.

“I had the race won 400m out,” said jockey JP van der Merwe. 

Jessica Jell, who races Gimme A Nother for Mauritzfontein Stud, commented: “I cannot tell you how much joy she’s brought us. It’s special for all of us. We’re happy for Mike, winning the Ipi Tombe race. And for Nother Russia. I had my daughter Sophia with us, she was holding a photo of Nother Russia while we were all crossing our fingers today. We are so happy and excited, thanks to JP for a top ride and to Mike and his whole team.”

Mike, speaking from Australia, said: “Gimme A Nother has a gear or two on the racetrack. There is something special about training good fillies from good dams, also trained. It’s quite satisfying, we look forward to more from her!”