New Horizon. The seasoned seven–time winner Bwana Macube experiments with a mile on the Fairview polytrack on Monday
After a frustrating spate of lost meetings in Gauteng and KZN recently, Phumelela’s R40 million Fairview Polytrack is looking like a very astute investment right now.
Monday’s well patronized eight race programme at the venue will attract plenty of interest and the day’s topliner looks wide open.
Eastern Cape racing has grown in stature in recent years and when the first two races were run on the Polytrack on 25 October last year, it signalled the dawning of a whole new dimension to the second chance saloon status of the region.
No Lost Days
The track can handle heavy rain, so training days and racedays are not lost. The happy result of no loss of races and betting turnover and opportunities is happy punters and owners. These two groups are after all the investors and the backbone of the game. And there is nothing worse than the bad PR and frustration that goes hand in hand with looking forward to something that just doesn’t happen.
Buying a racing publication, putting in hours of study and then losing the meeting is a major negative for the punter. Not forgetting the owner, who docks up hard earned cash to keep horses who don’t run.
Quick Return
The Polytrack’s value was also shown very quickly with one of PE’s biggest meets of the year, the Gr3 Betting World Algoa Cup, also known as the PE July, being switched from turf to the Poly on 27 October, just two days after the first two races were run!
The meeting was thus saved and the immediate buy in was there from punters, owners and trainers. Monday’s field sizes will also bear testimony to this and the local trainers have commendably quickly adjusted to what was unknown territory to most of them under five months ago.
Safe Surface
Champion trainer Mike De Kock said on the opening of the track that the surface is notably safer for horse and rider. He assured his colleagues that there would be a significant reduction in horses breaking down. Logic holds that horses that stay sound for long periods of time, or in some instances for longer periods of time, are able to exercise more often and hence will reach their required levels of fitness quicker.
It follows that even some of the chronically unsound runners will show improvement. A bigger proportion of the throroughbred population will thus have the opportunity to potentially extend their careers.
Change Of Scenery
The ten horses that line up on Monday for the MR 80 Handicap to be run over a mile are a typically mixed bag of talented locals and ‘born agains’ – retreads from other racing centres, looking for a second lease on life and a change of scenery.
The seven time winning topweight Bwana Macube is one horse that fits the mould. He was despatched by his Ashburton trainer and his part owner Duncan Howells to his cousin Gavin Smith as an alternate strategy after losing his enthusiasm in KZN.
“We got him from Adam Kethro as a one time winner and found him quite a difficult horse to train. We were going to retire him as a riding horse in frustration , but I left him in the paddock for a week on a hunch and he famously came out and won three on the trot in August 2012.
“We had worked him out and he was quite consistent thereafter. We decided to try him in PE after he lost form late last year. I must admit that it is an experiment,” he quipped.
Claim
Howells added that he felt that the gelding could get the mile, even though he had never been stretched that far. “He was not far off when we tried him up to 1450m on the turf ,” he said.
Apprentice Nicholas Patel rode Bwana Macube last time at his first start on the poly on Valentine’s Day. That was a 7,60 length fifth behind the speedy Paris Perfect where he appeared to be outpaced. Patel will claim his 4kgs here, and that will aid the cause.
Top Choice
The obvious choice in the race is the Tiger Ridge grey Kantaka, a fellow who loves the surface. He has had four starts for two wins and two strong finishing seconds. He had Extra Cover and Kindred Spirit behind him last time out.
Bwana Macube’s stablemate Extra Cover is a former Gauteng based frontrunner who will enjoy jumping from the 1 draw. He lacks guts in the final stages though.
Fit Horse
Others with chances include Justin Snaith’s 3yo Swedish King, a lightly weighted course and distance winner who jumps from a favourable draw with the talented Richard Fourie in the saddle.
Tara Laing’s consistent Laurie’s Dancer has drawn on the outside, but that should not worry him as he is dropped in for a run and turns it on late. He looks held by Mitch Wiese’s recent course and distance winner Kindred Spirit, but is a fit horse.
Kicker
In a very open race that is likely to enjoy a surplus of pace, Kantaka is the marginal first choice under the powerful Wayne Agrella to beat Laurie’s Dancer and our trifecta kicker, Bwana Macube.
