CHARLES, R6 MILLION BUY, DOWNS KRA GUINEAS WINNER

[original article: https://www.tsanews.co.za/r6-million-buy-downs-guineas-winner/]

Trainer Brett Crawford sent out of former top yearling purchase Charles to pull off a 10-1 upset at Durbanville on Saturday, when the handsome Trippi four-year-old downed a high-class field over 1400 metres. Having his first start as a gelding, the Drakenstein Stud bred Charles was allowed to start at 10-1 odds with many punters believing the gelding would be best over further. Last season’s G2 KRA Guineas winner Twist Of Fate was weighted to win, and was all the rage for Saturday’s Tellytrack.com Pinnacle Plate and eventually started the 17-20 favourite. However, after racing prominently early on, the four-year-old Twist Of Fate faded out of contention with 200m left to run, with many punters’ best bet on the day coming unstuck.

In contrast, the Keagan de Melo ridden Charles, despite having a wide trip, powered home with 100m left to run and went to post a 1.5 length win at the expense of the smart Sacred Arrow, with 36-1 longshot Fifty Cents (like the winner, bred by Drakenstein) back in third. The favourite Twist Of Fate, making his first start, like the winner, since July, ran fifth.

Now a three time winner from 11 starts (he was runner up to Dundeel’s son Atyaab in the 2019 G1 Gbets Cape Derby), Charles stopped the clock for Saturday’s race in a time of 83.41.

A R6 000 000 sales topper from the 2017 Cape Premier Yearling Sale, Charles, like the promising Saturday winner Wild Coast, is a son of former champion SA sire, Trippi, out of a daughter of Dynasty. His dam Demanding Lady won five times from 1200m to 2200m including the G2 Ipi Tombe Challenge and this is the family of top sire Silver Hawk and G1 Dewhurst Stakes winner War Command.