Curious Girl becomes first filly in 109 years to win SA Derby
Curious Girl delivered a historic victory in the R1.25 million TAB Group 2 SA Derby at Turffontein on Champions Day, becoming the first filly to win the 2450m feature in 109 years.
Trained by the De Kock family for Hollywood Racing, the daughter of Futura was expertly ridden by Richard Fourie, who stepped in for the sidelined Gavin Lerena and capped a standout day with four feature wins.
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Settled in a favourable position throughout, the 11-10 favourite produced a strong finish along the inside to stop the clock in 157.36 seconds.
It’s a training victory for Mike De Kock and his team after opting to run Curious Girl in the South African Derby, rather than the Oaks, with this decision now looking the right one, despite no filly having won the race for 109 years.
“With respect, this did not look like a vintage renewal of the Derby, and the thought of the impact on her rating in the event of her running on top of one of the higher rated fillies in the Oaks, was a further consideration,” he said.
“She has a future and we’d like to make sure she gets the best chances.”
Curious Girl held off stablemate Salani Kahle by 1.20 lengths to secure a Hollywood Racing quinella, with Master Spy finishing third.
The victory adds to the De Kock stable’s rich Derby history and underlines Curious Girl’s rapid rise, with the filly now boasting five wins from seven starts and earnings exceeding R1 million.
