The Gr1 Daily News 2000 produced some in-race entertainment on the East Coast on Saturday, but Anthony Andrews and The Futurist took the cake at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth 24 hours later when they caught their seven opponents fast asleep to win the R350 000 Gr3 Pocket Power Stakes by a country mile.
Andrews replaced Corne Orffer on the Brett Crawford trained front-runner, and after going gun to tape to win the Stormsvlei Stakes a half hour earlier, the Paarl-based rider made it a quick feature double when he stole a march and went further and further away from his field.
Two different races, as Anthony Andrews has The Futurist in front (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
“I trusted him and set his own fractions out front and I wasn’t fighting him. He was in fine trim and pulled up nicely, trotting back like he hadn’t run,” observed the delighted Andrews.
“I was quite surprised they let him get away like that. Going through the junction they had already let him get away. I think the guys were just a little bit asleep today,” suggested trainer Brett Crawford.
The Futurist (Anthony Andrews) is held tightly to win by almost ten lengths (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Going off at 33-1, The Futurist, after running second in the same contest last year, won by 9,25 lengths in a time of 120,73 secs.
Of academic interest only, Pacaya (15-10) was second, with stablemate Navy Strength (25-1) three quarters of a length back in third.
There is no doubt that the Stipes will be summonsing the seven beaten jockeys into the boardroom to remind them that the summer and winter tracks at the Southern Suburbs venue are quite different race platforms.
It was a first stakes winner for Mauritius based part owner Mukund Gujadhur, who races the 5yo gelded son of Futura (Dynasty), who was bred by P F Carolin and is out of the Black Minnaloushe mare, Black Mischief.
Now a winner of 5 races with 6 places from 22 starts, The Futurist has earned stakes of R562 051.
The victory was dedicated by the winning owners to Pocket Power’s breeder Dan de Wet, who is sadly not in good health at the moment. We wish Dan everything of the very best.
