It may sound like sacrilege but, for some observers, the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes promised to rival the Vodacom Durban July for sheer excitement, thanks to clash of champion fillies Princess Victoria (SAF) and Ebony Flyer (SAF). Those who felt that way were not disappointed as the two dominated the finish, with the Princess getting the better of her rival by half a length. Happy Archer (AUS) maintained her excellent record at this meeting by finishing third, with Mombasa (SAF) a creditable fourth.

Without Malice won the battle for the lead with Louvre tracking her. Frequent Flyer raced in third ahead of Up Front, Reason To Believe, Engagement and Awesome Beauty. Happy Archer was next best, just ahead of the two favourites, with Princess Victoria racing to the inside of Ebony Flyer.

The race was decided as the field entered the straight, with  Anton Marcus steering Princess Victoria down the inside and asking for her to kick. She responded with her trademark turn of foot and had forged into a clear lead 300m out. Happy Archer came out to make a race of it while Ebony Flyer, who seemed to have hit a flat spot, took quite a while to find her feet. When she finally got going, she started to close in hand over fist but the bird had already flown. Princess Victoria kept galloping all the way to the line and although the deficit diminished late, she was never really in danger of defeat.

Winning trainer Glen Kotzen capped a fantastic race with his sporting post-race comments, as he praised both the winner and runner-up, saying that two fillies of this calibre ought to have finished in a deadheat. It was a pleasing touch from Kotzen who has done a superb job of keeping his stable star going for two consecutive seasons of tough racing. The Princess has surely done enough to secure the Equus 3-year-old fillies award, to go with the juvenile crown she annexed last season and it remains to be seen whether she will stay in the country, as there must be some temptation to try her hand overseas if the relevant export protocols can be dealt with. If she does stay here, she will continue to be a massive draw card whenever she runs and one senses that the best is still to come as she matures further.