Milnerton trainer Adam Marcus left it late but turned his Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Summer Festival of Racing around in just over 72 seconds at the Southern Suburbs track on Saturday, courtesy of a well-deserved winning performance by the consistent Vercingetorix gelding, Bereave.
All racing fortunes are cyclical, and it was Dean Kannemeyer who once waxed philosophically that racing is a big wheel and that everybody gets his turn.
For the young Adam Marcus, there have been probably hotter summers than that just past, but he will take the redeeming, and highly deserved, Gr2 trophy with both hands!
Gavin Lerena and Bereave storm home in the final feature of a heady and terrific summer! (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Easy to back at 12-1, Bereave made it a plan come together and put the perfect cap on a progressive form graph that has stepped up through a fourth, third and second at his last start, with a career peak victory in the R600 000 Khaya Stables Gr2 Diadem Stakes.
Well ridden by Gavin Lerena, Bereave was given early cover and looked to have plenty to find as they went through the 400m.
But switched out for a run, he accelerated up the centre to thwart a determined bid by the Gr1 Cape Flying Championship winner Gimme A Prince (5-4), who was racing in the sponsors silks.
At the line Bereave had a length to spare and clocked 72,10 secs for the 1200m.
Gimme A Prince is clearly looking for a little further, but ran another game race to run second, 0,40 lengths ahead of Trip Of Fortune (7-1).
A happy Marcus said that Bereave was deserving of the smart win.
“I didn’t do anything differently in his prep, but he’d just come so well physically going into this race that not even a slight bruise to his foot on Monday could stop him.”
Originally raced by his breeder, Bereave is enjoyed in partnership by Dr B C Arrison, Messrs M A Govender, L H Paletz, G D Tooch & D Yutar, Nick & Val McFall, Mr C Dorrington & Ms A M de Manielle.
He was bred by Collins Stud Farm and is a son of Vercingetorix (Silvano) out of the Cataloochee mare Jeanre .
A winner of 5 races with 9 places from 16 starts, Bereave has banked R715 575.
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