Dominating her rivals, five-year-old Choisir mare Ma Choix recorded her fifth career win, and first at stakes level, clearing out to claim the Group 3 Victress Stakes (1800m) at Turffontein, South Africa on Saturday.
Purchased from the draft of Kitchwin Hills at the 2012 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale by James Bester, Ma Choix is raced by well-known South African owner Mrs Sabine Plattner.
Considered somewhat of an outsider in the large field of fillies and mares, Ma Choix gave young trainer Andre Nel his first stakes success.
Only taking out his trainer’s licence in September this year, the private trainer for Plattner has been in good form of late, but the win of the mare was by far his biggest success to date.
Jumping away well from the gates, jockey Brandon Lerena always had the mare in a handy position and when she hit the front at the 400m mark, many may have considered this too soon, but the mare surged clear to take the win by three and three-quarter lengths.
The most expensive filly by her sire at the Easter yearling sale of her year, realising $125,000, Ma Choix (below as a yearling) was bred by John Cordina’s Summertime Thoroughbreds. It is interesting to note that Choisir’s most expensive colt from the same sale went on to become the Group 1 Hong Kong Derby winner Luger.
Ma Choix (Chosir x Moniette) at Kitchwin Hills prior to Easter
With five wins and eight placings to her credit from 16 starts, Ma Choix is getting better as she matures and further stakes success is not out of the question for the talented mare.
Out of the Montjeu mare Moniette, Ma Choix’s pedigree contains many stakes-winning stayers but also the Champion Hong Kong Sprinter Aerovelocity.
A Congrats half-sister to Ma Choix was consigned at the 2014 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale by Banchory Thoroughbreds where she was sold to South Africa’s Hassen Adams for only $2,000, with the currently un-named two-year-old looking an astute purchase.
Offered from the draft of Eliza Park, Ma Choix’s dam Moniette was sold with a positive to Newgate Farm’s Foxwedge at this year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for only $20,000 to Monovale Holdings, with the resultant foal bred on the same Danehill x Montjeu cross as Ma Choix.
The victory by Ma Choix is the second Australian-bred stakes winner in the space of a week in South Africa, following the previous Saturday’s victory of Magic Albert gelding Suyoof.
Ma Choix image, Wayne Marks
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