Empress Club Stakes honour roll features some of the very best

Brendan Gaillard

Saturday’s Grade 1 Turffontein feature, the HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes is named in honour of one of the greatest fillies to grace our turf.

Dubbed the “Galloping Goldmine” by racing commentator Clyde Basel and her legion of fans, Empress Club was renowned for taking on the best of the best, males included – and beating them!

Legendary trainer Terrance Millard sent out the Argentinian import to make an easy winning debut for the late Laurie Jaffee at the Vaal on 23 March 1991. She was to go on and win 14 of her next 19 starts, including eight Grade 1’s - among them the Cape Town Met and Queen’s Plate - and was a five-time SA champion in the process.

Her two-year-old victories included the Grade 2 SA Nursery, the Grade 1 Gold Medallion and the Grade 2 Gosforth Park Juvenile Fillies, while as a three-year-old she achieved an unprecedented double by winning both the Grade 1 SA Guineas and the Grade 1 SA Fillies Guineas.

While her achievements will be tough to match, there have been a number of fantastic fillies and magnificent mares who have since added their names to the illustrious honour roll of the prestigious WFA Empress Club Stakes.

Interestingly, only two three-year-old fillies have tasted success in the last 10 renewals. Mike de Kock sent out to Majmu to win the 2015 renewal - having won the Cape Fillies Guineas at her previous start - after Gavin van Zyl-trained Judpot filly Along Came Polly took out the 2014 edition under S'manga Khumalo.

There is a trio of three-year-old fillies in this year's line-up, headed by two-year-old Grade 1 winner Under Your Spell who will be looking to become just the fourth winner of her age to win the race in the last 17 years.

De Kock has been the winning-most trainer of this race in recent times. Fair Maiden, a daughter of Western Winter, won in 2006 before three-year-old Jet Master filly Little Miss Magic took out the 2007 renewal. Both winners were ridden by now-trainer Weichong Marwing who, incidentally, returned to win in 2008 aboard Stratos for Mike Azzie.

De Kock can count the victories of Mother Russia (2010), Europa Point (2012), Majmu and the back-to-back successes of Nother Russia (Tiger Ridge daughter of Mother Russia) in 2017 and 2018 among his seven Empress Club Stakes wins in the last 16 years.

In that time, only St John Gray has added his name to the honour roll as a trainer on more than one occasion. His superstar filly Dancewiththedevil won under Khumalo in 2011 before Ronnie's Candy doubled his tally nine years later with Piere Strydom in the irons.

De Kock's hopes this year of adding another Empress Club Stakes gong to his collection rest solely with Sparkling Water (Khumalo) while Gray will have to wait another year, at the very least, as he is not in 2022.

Justin Snaith-trained wondermare Dancer's Daughter bowed out on a high with victory in this race back in 2009, while Brett Crawford's charge Thunder Dance added the 2013 Empress Club Stakes to her Paddock Stakes success of the previous year before Mike Bass saddled another Cape raider, Inara, to the fourth of her five Grade 1 wins three years later in 2016.

Outsider Camphoratus provided KZN with its second Empress Club Stakes success in six years when springing a massive surprise under Gareth Wright in 2019 for Robbie and Shannon Hill.

But who can forget the darling of our turf, 2021 winner and Horse Of The Year for that season, Summer Pudding?

In the words of racecaller Alistair Cohen, 'The Reflection Of Perfection!'

Last year's Empress Club Stakes success, her 11th win from 12 starts, was her fourth Grade 1 win and the first for jockey Warren Kennedy as well as trainer Paul Peter.

This combination will be looking to defend their title this year with Elusive Fort filly Sprinkles who finished second in both the Grade 2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas and Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic.