Serasana wins G2 Sandown Guineas
Serasana completed a Group double for the Griffiths de Kock stable when she won the Sandown Guineas G2 by 2.5 lengths. (PHOTO: Bronwen Healy)
Superstar Snitzel celebrated his 138th stakeswinner when the filly Serasana won Saturday’s $300,000 MRC Sandown Guineas 1600m G2 at her sixth start.
She is Snitzel’s 10th individual stakeswinner of 2023, and the sixth to emerge so far from his 2020 crop – a cohort headed by Champion 2YO and 2023 Golden Slipper G1 winner Shinzo.
Originally set for the Thousand Guineas G1 before a setback put that off the table, Serasana confirmed the promise of her dominant debut win at Sandown a year ago and added significant breeding value to her prizemoney of $292,000.
“Going great guns for Johnny Allen!”
Serasana shuts the gate on them in the Sandown Guineas 💥@GriffithsdeKock pic.twitter.com/kO3uLg1xTf
— Racing.com (@Racing) December 2, 2023
Serasana and stablemate King Magnus (winner of the Kevin Heffernan S. G3) landed a notable Group race double for the training partnership of Robbie Griffiths & Mathew de Kock.
Mathew said, “We’ve always thought really highly of this filly and John [Allen] just gave her an absolutely perfect ride so what a day to have a Group Two double.”
A $400,000 Inglis Easter purchase for the stable and Peter Ford Thoroughbreds, Serasana is raced by her breeder Kia Ora Stud with a trio of famous South Africans: Mathew’s father, champion trainer Mike de Kock, businessman Larry Nestadt and Gaynor Rupert’s Drakenstein Stud whose cornflower blue silks Serasana carries. Kia Ora Stud also bred Snitzel’s Group 1-winning son Wild Ruler.
Serasana is the best of five winners out of VRC Sires’ Produce S. G2 winner Twilight Royale (by Testa Rossa.)
Snitzel has 51 yearlings catalogued for Magic Millions 2024 including three fillies & 5 colts offered by Arrowfield.
