Drumnadrochit Thunders Into Summer Cup Picture

It takes a moment to get your tongue around ‘Drumnadrochit’, but the filly named after a village in the Scottish Highlands on the shores of Loch Ness is making it increasingly easy to remember. Judged on the manner in which she won a Pinnacle Stakes over 1800m at Turffontein on Saturday, she may just be a monster of a racehorse in the making.

Drumnadrochit (headline photo by JC Photos) won by an astonishing 11.25 lengths, thundering to the winning post at the city track with the force of a Highland storm sweeping across the glens.

She’s a striking specimen who has always had class and classic promise, and while she finished several lengths adrift in last season’s Triple Tiara races, Drumnadrochit is only now coming into her own after being given an extended break through winter.

Callan Murray opined: “Drumnadrochit ran in some good races as a three-year-old, and she’s finally filled into her frame. She has a good head on her which has helped, but now she has the body to match.”

It’s easy to get carried away when they win like this, but it wasn’t just a soft-field romp. The average merit rating of the race was 100 and there were a few hard-knocking older geldings in the small field – enough to convince De Kock Racing that Drumnadrochit has now announced herself a 2026 Betway Summer Cup prospect.

Mathew de Kock said: “We’re looking at the Listed Yellowwood Handicap next, or perhaps even the Allied Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile, a prep that may lead into the Summer Cup. Those races are on the same day, so we’ll choose between them.”

Drumnadrochit is a Ridgemont-bred by Rafeef out of the young Dynasty-mare Kelpie, herself twice placed in the Grade 1 Majorca Stakes and well on her way to valuable  broodmare status. Her other running foal so far is Sparrow Man, who is considered above average and has been entered for a handicap at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Monday.

Drumnadrochit races for Ridgemont’s Craig Kieswetter in partnership with Hollywood Racing’s Devin Heffer, both excited with what they saw and looking forward to the rest of her campaign this summer.

The stable saddled two other winners, two second and a third-placed runner on a champagne day, and including the first three legs of Jackpot One.

Fierceness (nearest camera).

Fierceness started the sequence in Race 5 over 1000m, coming out tops under Muzi Yeni after a pulsating duel with older rival, Periodic Table.

Fierceness jumped awkwardly and had his work cut out in a speedy field, but rose to the task and Yeni said: “He’s not a highly strung horse, but he gets a bit claustrophobic in the pens. He’s quick and recovered well, he looked like a winner in the parade ring. Well done to Mat, he was well prepared and had a gallop here last week. He’s a big horse and that gallop was a game-changer.”

Fierceness has a typical Wilgerbosdrift/Mauritzfontein pedigree – Hawwaam out of a mare by Soft Falling Rain, and he competes for the partnership of Trevelen Pillay’s TKP Racing, Dayalan Chinsammy, Colin Naidoo, Jayson and Preshalin Murugasa, Marlon Naicker and Roland Chetty.

“Fierceness messed up the start so this was a good win. He’s a promising young horse. We’ll take him through the divisions,” said Mat.

The Murugasas enjoyed a second winner on the day – Special Envoy in Race 7 over 1800m – and this was a nice birthday present for Preshalin, who celebrates his 30^th today.

Special Envoy.

Special Envoy came from the back of the field to win under jockey Calvin Ngcobo – he’s raced successfully that way in three starts, and dug down hard in the last 150m to win going away.

Calvin’s had only five rides this season, three of which on Special Envoy for two wins and a third, calmly and professionally handled.

Mat commented: “Calvin works hard in our yard and gets on well with Special Envoy. He’s grabbed his chances with both hands.”

Mat said that Special Envoy is developing into a nice sort. He is not the finished article yet, which goes to underline the merit of this early handicap win. He will be put away for a while to mature.

Special Envoy is  by Master Of My Fate out of Victorian Secret, by Captain Al, and was raised at Varsfontein.