Happy Hookers! Derek Brugman, Marsh Shirtliff and Bryn Ressell lead their winner in.
Trainer Joey Ramsden’s worst nightmare is developing into a full blown episode of Psycho. The sickening spectre of a cancelled Western Cape racemeeting has finally become a reality.
The sms that was despatched earlier today by the operator was quite simple really: Due to a paucity of Declarations for DBVL Wed 14-Mar, this racemeeting has been cancelled, and replaced by an additional Greyville Day meeting.
Ramsden featured in our pages just a week ago imploring his colleagues to come to their senses and start running their horses in the interests of all stakeholders of the sport. His rationale was based on the simple fact that income would be lost if races were cancelled. Sadly common sense and Ramsden’s considered rantings appear to have done little to make an impact.
This Sunday’s Durbanville meeting boasts 8 races with 80 horses scheduled to participate. Yesterday things didn’t look a helluva lot brighter with the eight races featuring just 70 horses.
But the racing was quite competitive nevertheless and we may as well appreciate it while we still race in Cape Town. Mike Bass and Yogas Govender are two of the trainers who have supported the depleted meetings and they shared the training honours with a double apiece.
Bass won the first two races on the programme. In the first, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m, he sent out the smart looking and enterprisingly named Trippi filly Hammie’s Hooker for a facile win. She gave Bernard Fayd’herbe the first leg of his personal double and she looks a ready made Nursery prospect with just her two career efforts under the belt. Racing in the Shirtliff silks, in partnership with Bryn Ressell and Markus Jooste, she was bred by Zandvliet Stud.
Crabbia's Crew. Chris Puller and Greg Ennion are having great success.
Karl Neisius rode the second Bass winner when he showed his experience to get Susanna home in the Wilgerbosdrift silks to win the MR82 Handicap over 1800m. The free striding Young Caesour made most of the pace as usual but Susanna was always in contention to register her fifth career win from fifteen starts. The favourite Impressive Rock faded late to run a weak fourth but may prefer the more testing Kenilworth 2000m track.
Neisius rode an absolute cracker to win the final event from gun to tape on the grey mare Cool River, who went off unfancied at 10-1. Eric Sands trains the daughter of Western Winter for Mrs Rhona Beck and she was winning only her second race from twenty-six starts. The MR69 Handicap for fillies and mares looked complicated on paper with a few mediocre sorts with flashes of form facing up to each other.
Brett Crawford’s Magical Eve went off favourite and Karis Teetan rode a rare ‘wally’ here by having her too far out of her ground and then switching in and out into trouble. She eventually finished fourth but would probably have won it going away with a functioning compass. In fairness, it was her first run at Durbanville.
Hell's Angel! MJ Odendaal drives Hellzapoppin home.
Racing’s ‘Hells Angel’ MJ Odendaal nips around Cape Town on his motorbike and turned up the throttle on Hellzapoppin to win the Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m from start to finish. The favourite Parado, who is also a Silvano, went off at 9-20 but was well beaten by Paddy Kruyer’s charge. The colt was bred by Litchfield Stud out of the very good Cordoba mare, Shiver My Timbers. If the connections keep their feet on the ground, they could have some fun with this handsome chestnut.
Jockey Aldo Domeyer was kicked in the region of his hip by his mount Milton Wood at the start of the third race. He was rushed to hospital and we have learnt from a family member that he is ‘fine’. Domeyer was replaced by Richard Fourie.
Great Ride Jason! Apprentice Smitsdorff keeps Revolutionary Road going for Stan Elley.
Apprentice Jason Smitsdorff is riding with improved confidence and he must take all the credit for Stan Elley’s Revolutionary Road’s win in the fourth, a Maiden Plate over 1400m. The daughter of Stage Call slugged it out with the favourite First Favour for most of the race, and Richard Fourie had to take a rare back-seat in a tight finish. An elated Elley suggested afterwards that she may pursue her career in ‘Bloemfontein’ as she works well on sand. Will somebody please break the sad news about the racetrack to Stan? And then tell him about Newmarket and Germiston too. We take it he has heard about Milnerton.
Bernard Fayd’herbe chalked up his second winner and the first of the Yogas Govender double when winning the MR72 Handicap over 1200m on the Silvano gelding More Of Me. Fayd’herbe got first run on his field after Tobeastar had made the pace and once again it was Karis Teetan who may have cost his mount when he ran into all sorts of trouble on the Ennion-trained Money For Love. The Var gelding took off late and managed third place. More Of Me was registering his second win from seven starts, and worked ‘like a champion’ in the words of his jockey. He may be worth following.
Top Ride. Brandon Morgenrood steers Cavalli to a facile win.
Brandon Morgenrood is doing all the right things in his career these days. He rides regular work out at Rondeberg and is a regular in the Virgin Active gym in Table View. His work ethic is producing the results and he made the most of his one ride – winning the MR78 Handicap over 1400m on the Rich Man’s Gold gelding Cavalli. This was only the six year old’s eleventh start and he appears a difficult ride.
It was Govender’s second winner of the day in a season that is approaching Plattner Racing’s best ever on record.
