In a thrilling finish to the R150 000 Epol Gr2 Umkhomazi Stakes, Cape raiders Erik The Red and Garrulous went head-to-head for the line, with the former gaining the upper-hand late for Justin Snaith and the Varsfontein Stud team.
With the Pick Six pool reaching R8 046 113, the confidence soared for the Glen Kotzen charge Garrulous, who was given every chance by Warren Kennedy and was not disgraced in defeat, experience probably paving the way for the multiple stakes winning son of Captain Al.
Erik The Red (Richard Fourie) gets the better of Garrulous (Warren Kennedy) in a thriller (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
With Erik The Red and Colour My Fate being attended to by the farriers at the start, the nerves of Pick 6 punters were rattled, but the race went to the top three fancies.
Coming forward down the inside, Garrulous(16-10) moved forward sweetly down the inside with Pray For Rain (5-1) and Erik The Red (5-1) the only threats.
But under a left-handed ride that may have seen him lean marginally onto Pray For Rain, Erik The Red put in a sparkling performance to win by a half length in a time of 70,72 secs.
Pray For Rain ran a cracker in third.
Richard Fourie said that he had requested Erik The Red be considered for gelding.
“He just gets bigger and he is not the smoothest breather. But he is smart and changed legs when they looked to run past him,” added the top rider.
An over-the-moon Justin Snaith said that ‘it’s a lot harder than it looks’ in reference to the merit of the young athlete.
“We decided on this race after we drew badly in the mile. And there has never been pressure – especially after Carl de Vos asked us to look after him as their ‘next stallion’,” laughed Snaith.
The winner is another smart son of deceased champion Captain Al (Al Mufti) out of the 2011 Gr1 Majorca Stakes victress and seven-time winner Covenant (Western Winter).
A winner now of four features, Erik The Red has won 5 of his 8 starts with 2 places for stakes of R446 625.
He must be a major candidate for Cape Champion 2yo Male.
