Ridgemont Highlands’ sensational young sire Rafeef continues to churn out good looking winners by the week, and the son of Redoute’s Choice looks to have another talented sort to his name in the form of Whafeef.
The latter showed his class when downing some hard-knocking older rivals to win a good race at the Vaal on Thursday.Trained by Stuart Pettigrew, Whafeef had caught the eye when finishing second, to subsequent Listed Derby Trial winner Litigation, in the Egoli Mile (Non-Black Type) last time out and duly went one better on Thursday.
Under Philsande Mxoli, three-year-old Whafeef raced just off the front running Mardi Gras early on.Whafeef hit the front 200m from home and fought out a tremendous duel with tote favourite Bowie which saw Whafeef get up to win Thursday’s Seafood And Jazz Festival 2 April MR 96 Handicap (1500m) by a head.
It was another two and a quarter lengths back to G2 Senor Santa Stakes winner Mardi Gras in third.
Runner up in the Listed Secretariat Stakes earlier in the season, the progressive Whafeef has now won or placed in six of his ten starts.
The Cheveley Stud colt was a R320 000 buy from the 2020 National 2YO Sale.
His G1 Computaform Sprint winning sire has made a tremendous start to his stud career, with Rafeef’s stellar first crop headed by the graded stakes winners Aragosta and William Robertson, and his second by promising two-year-olds Spywing, Union Square and Who Do You Love.
