Igugu blitzed her rivals by 10 lengths in the G1 South African Fillies Classic at Turffontein on Saturday to take a stranglehold on the Triple Tiara.

The Australian bred filly won G2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas at Turffontein in February and she will be a long odds-on favourite to win the final leg in the G1 South African Oaks next month.

Igugu (3f Galileo – Zarinia by Intikhab) controlled the Fillies Classic once Anthony Delpech decided to take charge of the contest from the front.  She opened up by four lengths approaching the corner and the writing was already on the wall for the chasers.

Runner-up Las Ramblas (Toreador) is out of a NZ bred Maroof mare and third home was Irish bred filly Berry Blaze (Danehill Dancer).  Australian bred Street Cry filly Hollywoodboulevard issued a brief challenge in the straight before fading to fourth.

Igugu was purchased for $65,000 at the 2009 Inglis Melbourne Premier and was resold later that year for R1,000,000 at the Emperors Palace Ready-to-Run Sale.  She is raced in partnership by Summerhill Stud owner Mick Goss with Andre Macdonald, Rodney Thorpe and Roger Zeeman.  

Igugu is the second Australian bred by Galileo to score at Group 1 level in South Africa.  Her stablemate Mahbooba won the Golden Slipper at Greyville and she has developed into a valuable member of Mike De Kock’s team in Dubai.

Mahbooba was a Listed winner of the UAE 1000 Guineas last month and she finished third in the G2 UAE Derby at Meydan on Saturday night.

New Zealand bred colt Galileo’s Destiny finished third in the G1 South African Classic at Turffontein.  He was bred at Haunui Farm and is trained by Charles Laird for owner Marcus Jooste.

The Mike Bass trained gelding English Garden (Camden Park) won the Classic by a length from Top Seller (Al Mufti) with a similar margin to the Galileo colt who will better suited over the South African Derby distance next month.