72 Hour Man! Dean Kannemeyer trained 4 winners in 3 days at 4 different tracks.
A winning streak of four winners over three days at four different racecourses in two provinces. That is trainer Dean Kannemeyer’s spirited Easter haul that commenced on Monday and culminated in the win by Cat Dubois at Durbanville on 11 April.
Changing with the trying times and adapting his business accordingly, the opening of a satellite yard at Clairwood and the introduction of syndicates to attract new owners are just two of the innovations of what has been a wonderful 2011/12 season for the 51 year old Kannemeyer.
A crowd-puller! The Valentine's Syndicate lead their favourite Cat in.
Cat Dubois is appropriately the first winner of the newly formed Valentine’s Syndicate and he put the lid on a sizzling seventy-hours when winning the country course opener , a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1400m. Karl Neisius rode a confident race aboard the Bernard Kantor bred colt by Count Dubois out of the New Zealand-bred Generous mare, That Darn Cat. Dean trained the brother Sylvester also. The Valentine’s Syndicate members accounted for what felt like 50% of the on-course crowd at the Durbanville midweek meeting and were there in numbers!
The Kannemeyer winning streak got going on Easter Monday when Mainspring skated clear to win an MR86 Handicap over 2500m at Clairwood. The obviously smart Cape Royal then won easily on debut on the same afternoon at Kenilworth to give Karl Neisius his 3000th career winner.
On Tuesday at Scottsville, Kannemeyer saddled The Shark to win a terrific race in an MR98 Handicap, where those behind him included the likes of the highly thought of Charles Laird due of Northern Emperor and Rio Carnival.
The Yogas Govender yard continues to rake in the winners and the West Coast outfit celebrated a smart double on the afternoon. Bernard Fayd’herbe got Glacier Express home in the third race, a Maiden Plate over 1400m. Always up with the pacy Degeneres, the Western Winter filly stayed on well enough to beat a moderate bunch. The Andries Steyn-trained Gracie veered to the outside of the track as the field spun for home, and may be worth watching when ridden more conservatively next time.
Glacier Express certainly has the blood. She is a Plattner home-bred full sister to the brilliant Bad Girl Runs, whose name is fondly remembered on the Plattner horse transport float.
Longshot! Gold Academy wins at 45-1 on the tote.
Jockey Robert Kathi set the cat amongst the pigeons when riding the next leg of the Govender double on the unfancied Gold Academy in the MR76 Handicap over 1600m. Lemon Meringue played her customary pacesetting role in this fifteen horse minefield and a stampede developed over the final 300m with many in with serious winning chances.
Kathi had done a terrific job in getting Gold Exchange against the rail from her wide draw, and he sneaked down the inside to win going away from an improved Europe To Africa. Gold Exchange paid R45 for win on the tote and was not a happy find for punters.
The Glen Kotzen Racing team are enjoying a purple patch with their recent revitalised burst of winners and they also enjoyed a winning double on the afternoon. Apprentice Jason Smitsdorff rode their first winner when keeping the Doowaley gelding Mr Rhythm going to win the fifth race, a Maiden Plate over a mile.
The horse looked dead and buried at the 200 m marker, but Smitsdorff sat dead still and drove him out to hold a flying Barrel ‘N Butt by a head.
Ironically Grant Van Niekerk, who had played second fiddle on Barrel ‘N Butt, piloted the next Kotzen winner when Lily Lafitte dashed clear to win the final event, a Maiden Plate over 1800m. Do You Dance faded at the 300m marker after making the pace and it was left to PrincessJacqueline and the fancied Aconcagua to chase the winner home.
Jockey Craig Du Plooy deserves a mention for a top-class ride in the second race, a Maiden Juvenile Plate on the Vaughan Marshall filly River Tigris. Du Plooy often has to make do with the scraps off the ride allocation table, but he has a way with horses and is a kind rider. River Tigris was a beaten horse close home, but Du Plooy got her to dig deep and the daughter of Eyeofthetiger won a gutsy race to come back and beat the pacemaker Lee Time.
A starting stall failure after the first race resulted in manual starts being utilised all afternoon. The exercise appeared to go off without incident.
