Mauritzfontein’s resident stallion Danon Platina, currently South Africa’s second Leading First Season Sire for 2022-2023, enjoyed a big day at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday. Not only did Danon Platina’s two-year-old daughter Betula win Saturday’s Bloodstock SA Sales Cup (Fillies) (1300m), another daughter of the sire, Oriental Bouquet, finished second in that R400 000 feature for two-year-old fillies.
Trained by Stuart Pettigrew, Betula was driven out in the closing stages of Saturday’s race to hold off paternal half-sister Oriental Bouquet and claim her biggest win to date by a short-head.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, Betula had finished fifth on debut before breaking her maiden next time out. The filly went on to finish runner-up, behind another Danon Platina filly White Pearl, in the Highveld Winter Juvenile Fillies Stakes, before landing the 2023 Bloodstock SA Sales Cup.
Betula, who has now won twice from just four starts, was an R160 000 purchase from the 2022 National Yearling Sale.
The filly, who is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Boxwood Bouwer, is one of 15 winners to have emerged from Danon Platina’s first crop of runners. This crop also includes impressive Highvevld Winter Juvenile Fillies Stakes winner White Pearl, who finished fifth in Saturday’s G2 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper, and the smart Platina Princess. The latter recently made it two wins from just four starts when she won on KZN Breeders Raceday and she looks like another potentially smart sort for her sire.
Danon Platina, who shares his legendary sire Deep Impact with Sunday’s G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winner Auguste Rodin, also had notable success at last week’s KZN Yearling Sale. Danon Platina ended Thursday’s auction as the second Leading Sire by Aggregate, with Danon Platina’s nine-yearlings grossing R2.72 million and averaging R302 222. His top-priced yearling sold was Grey Fantacy (Lot 146), with that Mauritzfontein consigned filly, knocked down to Pound Bloodstock for R550 000.
