Dutyfree, a bay son of Luxor, scored his first pattern success when landing the Turkish Two Thousand Guineas at Veliefendi racecourse in Istanbul May 15. Only With only one mile race under his belt, Dutyfree scored a courageous victory at the home of Turkish racing.
After a good break, top jockey Selim Kaya placed Dutyfree behind the leaders, El Kasgar (Elixir) and Tough Guy (Unaccounted For), who set a blistering pace over good going.
At the turn for home it was anybody’s race and Dutyfree was not the obvious pick. Tough Guy took the lead entering the straight and responded briefly before fading a furlong out. This left daylight for Kaya who worked hard to keep up the momentum and managed to hold off the challenge of a fast-finishing Dedem Kara (Bin Ajwaad) wide on the standside, to win by a neck.
White Ram (Sri Pekan) finished a further 11/2 lengths back in third.
The winner is out of the Wolf mare Freezone.
It was Kaya’s evening. Having ridden a strong race to win the Two Thousand Guineas, he scored a classic double 90 minutes later with a comfortable victory in the fillies’ classic aboard Seker Remziye.
Using similar tactics in this event, Kaya, took Seker Remziye (Kaneko) to the front from the start, tracking the pace-setting Gokcenil (Mountain Cat).
With more than 10 lengths separating the field for most of the race, the complexion changed considerably coming around the final turn. Gokencil began to fade, with Kaya looking ever-confident in behind. Soylu threatened on the outside as Symphony (Eagle Eyed) came charging from the rear.
Two furlongs out Stage Pro (Native Procida) clipped heels and took a tumble. This had little bearing on the result however as Seker Remziye continued her charge up the straight, shot past the early leader and went on to score a classy classic victory by a four-length margin. Soylu held on for second with Symphony a neck away in third.
The winner is out of the Distant Relative mare Real Girl. She was two-time stakes winner last year, scoring in the seven-furlong Siay Ve Sah Dir and nine-furlong GBI Racing Sakarya.
