Morne

Mauritzfontein’s G1 winning stallion Danon Platina came up with an eye catching pair of winners at the Vaal on Thursday, with the Deep Impact horse’s daughters Shampimpi and Gocekwithlove victorious in the day’s second and third races respectively.

The Candice Dawson trained Shampimpi got off the mark in decisive fashion when she romped home to win Thursday’s Betway Tote Rewards Club Maiden Plate (1200m) in convincing fashion. Under Gavin Lerena, the three-year-old kicked away in the closing stages and drew off to win by two and a quarter lengths.

Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, Shampimpi, who was making her fith start on Thursday, is out of the Tiger Ridge mare Maybe Yes.

Danon Platina is also the sire of Gocekwithlove, who captured the Betway Aviator Maiden Plate (1200m) impressively. Under JP Van Der Merwe, the Mike de Kock trained three-year-old romped home to break her maiden by four and a half lengths.

Bred by Clifton Stud, Gocekwithlove, who had finished second last time out, was making just her third start on Thursday with the filly having finished fourth on debut.

Out of the Joshua Dancer mare Samba Serenade, Gocekwithlove was an R180 000 buy from the 2022 National Yearling Sale.

Japanese champion Danon Platina, who shares his legendary sire Deep Impact with this year’s G1 Betfred Derby winner Auguste Rodin, made a fantastic start with his first two-year-olds last season when he was South Africa’s second Leading First Season Sire for 2022-2023.

The G1 winning two-year-old has three lots on offer at the upcoming Cape Racing Ready To Run And Unbroken Two Year Old Sale, and a further five lots on the November Two Year Old Sale.

Mauritzfontein’s exciting young sire Danon Platina, who is currently involved in a titantic struggle for the title of South Africa’s Leading First Season Sire of 2022-2023, came up with his 17th first crop winner when his two-year-old daughter Mia’s Harper won at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Tuesday.
An eye catching second at her only previous start, Mia’s Harper was sent off a well backed favourite for Tuesday’s Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Welcomes You Maiden Juvenile Plate (Fillies) (1200m). Under a positive ride from Keagan De Melo, the Dean Kannemeyer trained filly hit the front a long way from home, and Mia’s Harper kept finding gamely to go on and score by a comfortable two lengths.
Bred and owned by Khaya Stables, Mia’s Harper is out of the Captain Al mare Captain’s Corner.
She joins an ever growing list of winners for her sire Danon Platina, Japan’s Champion 2YO Colt of 2014. Others include impressive Highveld Winter Juvenile Fillies Stakes winner White Pearl, Bloodstock SA Sales Cup (Fillies) queen Betula, and the likes of Oriental Bouquet, Kyomai, Romance In Rome, and Platina Princess.
Danon Platina was the sire of the first three home in the Highveld Winter Juvenile Fillies Stakes and the first two home in the Bloodstock SA Sales Cup (Fillies) this season.
At the time of writing, Danon Platina had been responsible for more two-year-old winners this season than such star sires as What A Winter, Vercingetorix, Querari, Rafeef and Trippi.
A son of Deep Impact (also sire of the 2023 G1 Betfred Derby winner Auguste Rodin), Danon Platina has 14 lots on offer at the 2023 August Two Year Old Sale.

Mauritzfontein’s red hot young sire Danon Platina came up with his 16th first crop winner when his son Harajuku got off the mark at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Wednesday afternoon.

Trained by Justin Snaith, two-year-old Harajuku had finished second on debut before finishing fourth next time out. However, Harajuku made no mistake in Wednesday’s Cape Racing Sales Maiden Juvenile Plate, when he romped home, under Grant Van Niekerk, to shed his maiden impressively by five lengths.

Bred by Rathmor Stud, Harajuku is out of the Right Approach mare Approach Me.

The colt was a R550 000 purchase from the 2022 Cape Yearling Sale.

Danon Platina, who enjoyed a 100% strike rate at Kenilworth on Wednesday with Harajuku his sole runner on the day, is currently seventh on South Africa’s Leading Sire of 2YOs premiership for 2022-2023.

Other early winners for Danon Platina include Highveld Winter Juvenile Fillies Stakes heroine White Pearl and Bloodstock SA Sales Cup (Fillies) heroine Betula.

Danon Platina shares his legendary sire Deep Impact with numerous equine stars including Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail. The latter made a huge impression at this week’s JRHA Select Sale, where Contrail had 20 of his first foals sell for in excess of ¥2,570,000,000 and average ¥128,500,000.

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.