Zappy Choice wins at Turffontein
Almost a year after one grey daughter of Redoute’s Choice was named South Africa’s Champion 2YO Filly, a second grey 2YO filly by the champion sire has scored a dominant maiden win at Turffontein.
The now 3YO Majmu has progressed to win twice at Group 1 level in South Africa this season and is a leading contender for the Vodacom Durban July G1 next Saturday 4 July.
Zappy Choice was having only her third start in the San Michele Maiden Juvenile Plate at Turffontein, but tellingly it was her first attempt at 1600 metres and she clearly relished it.
She jumped well for jockey Gavin Lerena, settled comfortably in the lead and quickly gapped the field when asked to extend around 500 metres from home. Rock of Laudium and the favourite Youcanrockme reduced Zappy Choice’s advantage slightly over the closing stages but she kept up a strong gallop to win by two lengths.
Watch Zappy Choice’s win here – courtesy of the Racing Association
Like Majmu, Zappy Choice is an Arrowfield sale graduate, bought for $85,000 from the 2014 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale by trainer Mike Azzie for his principal owners Adriaan & Rika van Vuuren.
If Zappy Choice can take even a few of the steps Majmu has taken in her career, she has more than enough pedigree appeal to make her a very valuable mare indeed. She was bred by Arrowfield’s joint venture with HH The Aga Khan from the unraced grey mare Zarakiysha (by Kendor), a half-sister to French Group 3 winner Zarshana and the great European Champion Zarkava, unbeaten in seven starts including the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and four other Group 1 races.
Zappy Choice is Zarakiysha’s third foal and third winner, after the Hussonet fillies Zarzing (who won her third race for Tony Noonan at Pakenham on Friday), and the promising staying 3YO Zarzali, prepared by Bart & James Cummings to run fourth in last month’s Queensland Oaks G1.
Zarakiysha delivered her fourth filly, a sister to Zappy Choice, last Spring and is due to foal to Animal Kingdom in October.
Zappy Choice is also closely related to one of the most spectacularly bred foals in Redoute’s Choice’s first French-conceived crop: the Aga Khan’s colt out of Zarkava.
