Newsworthy! Aldo Domeyer guides Astro News to a good win in the Arlington 1800 (Coastal Photos)
The dual Gr3 winning Astro News maintained the outstanding run of his sire Silvano, when he cut down his opposition in workmanlike fashion to win the R90 000 Arlington 1800 on Friday. The 2011 Graham Beck Stakes and 2013 Cup Trial winner looked the class horse in the small field.
For the second week running, Maine Chance Farms’ Silvano sired the feature race exacta in the Eastern Cape.
Astro News was having his first run in Port Elizabeth for the sixth trainer in a chequered career peppered by some really smart performances.
It didn’t take rocket science to work out that he was the right horse if running to his best up country ability. His main rival Blaze Of Fire came to the party, by putting in a rare flat performance.
The duo were the top rated runners by a mile and not surprisingly dominated the betting, with the partisan punters sending Blaze Of Fire into the red at the top of the betting boards.
The race panned out tactically perfectly for trainer Emerald Cup winning trainer Gavin Smith, after Zezinho Campeao had done the donkey work for much of the contest.
The Brazillian bred Zezinho Campeao, along with the eventual winner and the Alan Greef trained Way Clear, all ran in the Fred Crabbia silks.
Aldo Domeyer had been nursing Astro News quietly along in midfield, and when the gelding was popped the question, he responded with assertion to win well, despite the attentions of a flying Gianduja, from wide out.
It was a well judged ride by Domeyer, who would not have sighted the looming threat of Gianduja on the other side of the track.
The winner went off at 3 to 1 and recorded a time of 111,57 secs.
The Jacques Strydom trained Gianduja made a mockery of his merit rating as he ran on stoutly, and appears to have found a second lease on life in PE.
Zezinho Campeao kept finding a little more all the way home and clung on to third, just over a length in front of the 9 to 10 favourite, Blaze Of Fire.
The disappointment of the race was the Eastern Cape Horse Of The Year Blaze Of Fire, who appeared to be cruising with a double handful into the straight, but had nothing to come at the finish and ran fourth and 1,85 lengths off the winner.
The normally consistent Way Clear blew in the betting and ran stone last.
The Oldlands Stud bred Astro News is a son of Silvano out of the seven time winning Dominion Royale mare, Orange Moon.
Astro News is now a winner of 5 races with 15 places from his 35 starts.
He took his earnings to R870 950, which means a nice return on his R200 000 National Yearling Sale price tag.
