Pace was a hot topic at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday. A jockey wasn’t happy about it, while the feature race winner was given a peach of a ride to capitalize on a soft lead.
An important scientific complimentary tool of the trade for punters and racing enthusiasts, sectional timing data can enhance both the form study and horseracing viewing experience on both KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape race meetings.
In Time Is Money this week, we look at some of the past weekend’s highlights.
Hollywoodbets Greyville 23 March
Track Condition
Going: Good
Penetrometer: 22
Rain: Last 7 days Nil
Irrigation: Last 24hrs Nil – Last 7 days 15mm
False Rail: 8m
Wind: 10-28km/h North Easterly head wind
Course Variant: 0,92s slow
Winter Games – cool ride from the front by Thackeray (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Kings Cup (L) 1600m
Allowed a soft lead without too much effort on leaving the stalls, and then setting good fractions around the turn, the well supported 4yo WINTER GAMES (8/1 into 9/2) had built up a lead of over 6 lengths on entering the straight. Shouldering just 51,5kg, Mike Miller’s charge kept on determinedly over the final 400m and with both the favourite Gladatorian and Diani closing in rapidly below the distance, he held on to steal the race by a neck.
This was the fastest of the five 1600m events on the ten-race program. The runner up Gladatorian recorded the fastest 400m to finish time of the afternoon.
Olivetti Maiden Juvenile Plate 1400m
The stable of Mike Miller had also found the winner’s enclosure in the opening maiden juvenile plate over 1400m, only this one won a lot more easily. Taken straight to the front by Tristan Godden, the friendless newcomer VIKINGS REVENGE (8/1 out to 20/1) led throughout. He was always in command and running on strongly in the straight, he won with authority by four.
Two 2000m Races
The two 2000m races were both comparatively slowly run, with the faster being the Corobrik Class 4 event won by ARVERNI KING. Backed into second favourite at the track, the son of Vercingetorix raced fourth for most of the journey just three lengths off the pace set by the easy to back Qondanekukhanyeni.
He quickened nicely early in the straight and recording the fastest 400-finish time in the race, he went on to win well by two and three quarters.
The very unsettled Mont Tremblant set the pace in the slowly run maiden event over 2000m, and here we saw a smart performance from the favourite BAD MEDICINE.
Confidently ridden by Gavin Lerena, the Johannesburg raider was soon well positioned in fourth just three and a half lengths off the pace. He quickened well early in the straight and went on to score with some in hand by three and a half. Interestingly, Gavin said that they snatched the pace up at around the 800m mark. He was unhappy about this as he felt that a lot could have gone wrong at that stage.
Fastest Times:
1600m (5) Winter Games 96,93
2000m (2) Arverni King 125,68
400-finish Gladatorian 21,78
Hollywoodbets Durbanville 22 March
Track Condition
Going: Good
Penetrometer: 23
Rain: Last 24 hrs 2mm – Last 7 days 5mm
Irrigation: Last 24 hrs Nil – Last 7 days 50mm
False Rail: 2m out on back straight with 3m spur at 550m
Wind: 22-24km/h North Westerly tail wind
Course Variant: Rain fell quite heavily during the running of race 3 and with rain then falling to various degrees throughout the afternoon an overall course variant could not be determined.
Three 1250m Races
The three 1250m races that opened up the meeting were all maiden events and with the first being a work riders affair, and rain falling quite heavily throughout the third, it was not surprising that race 2, the colts maiden juvenile plate, was the fastest.
The best bet on the card for many GOOD FOR YOU broke well and was soon a length clear at the head of affairs. He kept up an honest gallop throughout and registering the fastest 400m-finish time in the race, he drew clear in the closing stages to score very easily by six.
Two 1400m races
The Celebrating R. Sherwood’s Birthday B Stakes was the faster of the two 1400m races and in what proved to be a real thriller CAPTAIN WEST registered his second career victory.
Despite being run before the track was affected by the rain, the pace was comparatively slow rounding the turn. Nicely positioned in second though, just a length and a quarter behind the pacemaker World Of Pleasure, Brett & James Crawford’s charge was always poised to strike. The front runner found extra when he did so 200m out, and made to work all the to the wire, he only got the verdict on the nod.
Corne Orffer rode an intelligent race from the front to win on Congressman (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Celebrating L. Wernars’ Birthday Class 4 1800m
The pace was slow on leaving the stalls, but once the eventual winner CONGRESSMAN got to the front it soon began to quicken.
Indeed, the son of Querari drew further and further clear rounding the turn and was easily ten lengths to the good entering the straight. The pack headed by the strongly fancied favourite Regulation chased hard in the straight, but the charitable advantage afforded to the son of Querari allowed him to steal the race by two and a quarter.
Quickies
There was officially no time taken for the final race on the card, the Hollywoodbets Bright Future D Stakes over 1000m. The pace was a good one and we recorded the winning time of ELECTRIC FEELS as 58,78 secs.
Fastest Times:
1250m (3) Good For You 75,12
1400m (2) Captain West 85,71
400-finish Captain West 22,27
