Suggested on the De Kock Racing blog as one of the best outsiders in a competitive race, the Canford Cliffs colt Miami Mountain flew up from stone last to win the R275 000 TAB Gr3 National Currency Stakes for Hollywood Racing at a weather-impacted Turffontein on Saturday.
Giving Jeff Syster his first graded stakes success, Miami Mountain took to the fitment of the blinkers and relished the test provided by the give in the ground as he stormed through down the inside rail at 12-1 to beat the KZN raider and favourite Wild Justice by 0,80 lengths in a time of 64,09 secs for the 1100m.
Dean Smith’s Gqeberha visitor Pop Chart showed maturity and ability at just his fourth start to grab the third cheque, a further 0,60 lengths away.
Bred by Ridgemont, the winner is a son of five-time Gr1 winning stallion Canford Cliffs (Tagula) out of the 2018 Gr1 Allan Robertson Championship winner Miss Florida, a daughter of Captain Al who raced for Nic Jonsson and was trained by Justin Snaith.
Now a winner of 4 races with a place from his 7 starts, Miami Mountain took his stakes earned to R394 013. He certainly has lots of potential and could stay on over further, given his relaxed racing style and his turn of foot.
The feature was named in honour of National Currency, ‘the horse with the movie star looks’, who was bred by Highlands Farms Stud, by resident sire National Assembly out of Enchanted Dollar.
Trained by Michael Azzie and raced in the interests of breeder Graham Beck in partnership with A Christoforou, Mr C J W & Mrs N Hilt & Mrs J E H Clarke, National Currency was a sprint champion, setting the tracks alight both locally and on the world stage.
Equus Champion 2YO Colt in 2001 and Champion Male Sprinter in 2002, he had 15 career starts for 10 wins and 5 places, including victories in the Computaform Sprint, Mercury Sprint, and Gold Medallion, but was perhaps most noble in defeat, going down 1 length to the mighty Silent Witness in the 2003 Hong Kong Sprint.