The fledgling trainer partnership of father and son Brett and James Crawford was off to a flying start at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth last weekend when Fatal Flaw stormed to victory in the World Sports Betting Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas.
Despite travel and a wide draw, Fatal Flaw (Piere Strydom) took one for the ‘away team’ at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Adding an extra touch of magic to the day was the triumphant return of their Hollywoodbets Durban July hero Oriental Charm in the World Sports Betting Gr2 Green Point Stakes.
Fatal Flaw’s victory was all the more remarkable, given that she had to traverse the country from Johannesburg to Cape Town, had never raced over a left-handed track, and jumped from the widest draw.
But, in the capable hands of veteran Piere Strydom, she never looked in danger of defeat and squarely put one over the locals, whilst giving her jockey a way overdue first win in this classic.
James, who oversees the Gauteng yard, put the finishing touches to both stakes winners. He is no stranger to Gr1 success, after all, he can arguably take credit for the past two winners of the Hollywoodbets Gr1 Durban July.
Step forward Winchester Mansion and Oriental Charm, both of which travelled from their Johannesburg base to triumph in the country’s premier race.
James and Brett Crawford chat to Vicky Minnot after their Oriental Charm comeback (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
By the way, the Crawfords are not the first father-and-son team to train under a joint license.
To our knowledge, Mike and Adam Azzie set the ball rolling back in 2017. Barely a month into the season, they were off the mark when Will Pays landed the Gr3 Spring Spree Stakes and would later add the Gr2 Hawaii Stakes. Argentina-bred Hat Puntano too, advertised the stable’s prowess in the Gr2 Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile.
Appropriately, the team’s first Gr1 winner was stable veteran Rivarine, who finally succeeded in his quest for top level glory at the age of six when he outgunned champion sprinter Russet Air and Chimichuri Run in the 2020 Gr1 Computaform Sprint.
The Azzies are dab hands at fine-tuning sprinters, a second Gr1 winner following in the shape of Bohica, who travelled to Cape Town to garner the 2022 Cape Flying Championship.
Will Pays (Craig Zackey) landed the Gr3 Spring Spree Stakes for Mike and Adam Azzie in 2017 (Pic – JC Photos)
Other stakes winning sprinters for the Azzies were 2019 Gr3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap winner Down To Zero, and the talented, if fragile filly, Sheela.
Who will forget her spectacular debut in the Listed Storm Bird Stakes, where she ran her male rivals off their feet to score by the best part of four lengths.
The Drakenstein homebred showed that effort was no flash in the pan when she followed up with another splendid win in the Gr2 SA Nursery. Also, third in the Gr1 Allan Robertson, she matured into a fine sprinter and again blitzed male rivals in the Listed Golden Loom Handicap.
The stable sent out a second Spring Spree Stakes winner in 2019 when Angel’s Power shared the honours with Prince Of Kahal, whilst the likes of Gimme A Shot (Gr2 Ipi Tombe Challenge), Wylie Wench (Gr3 Acacia Handicap) and San Fermin (Gr3 Sycamore Sprint) also added their names to the list of Azzie-trained stakes successes, as has this season’s Java Handicap winner Poets Warrior.
The five-year-old recently completed a fine hattrick when he sauntered to victory in the Racehorse Owners Association Stayers, and he will surely chase more black type in more prominent staying events.
The industry received a timely boost with the announcement by maestro trainer Mike de Kock that he is to join forces with son Matthew, who has decided to return home after spending the past four years in Australia, where he honed his skills in partnership with trainer Robbie Griffiths.
Matthew initially learnt the trade from his famous dad and recalls having sat on the mighty Horse Chestnut as a youngster. Prior to leaving for Down Under, he handled such stable stars as champion Hawwaam, Soqrat and Queen Supreme.
He will initially be based full-time at the Randjesfontein yard, while Mike will oversee operations from Summerveld, with a satellite string in the lucrative centre of Cape Town also on the radar.
This season, Matthew can look forward to acquainting himself with Horse of the Year Dave The King and exciting three-year-olds like Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas hopeful Heather’s Boy, Greaterix and Artist’s Model, as well as the impressive maiden winner Spumante Dolce, a three-part sister to former stable star Sparkling Water.
Harold Crawford and daughter Michelle Rix created history with Kommetdieding (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Father-and-daughter teams are uncommon in South Africa, hence it was the ground-breaking duo of Harold Crawford and daughter Michelle Rix who entered the history books in a big way with Kommetdieding.
A R55,000 bargain buy off the Klawervlei Farm Sale, the colt took them on a heady ride when he stormed to victory in the 2021 Vodacom Durban July and six months later, ran out a smooth winner of the Gr1 Cape Town Met.
As regards the Crawford team, who have some potentially exciting plans in the pipeline, they are in an enviable position and for the remainder of the season, will go to war with an arsenal headed by Oriental Charm and newly-minted Gr1 winner Fatal Flaw, not to mention Oaks winner Frances Ethel and Winchester Mansion, who is currently on the easy list after his smooth victory in the Allied Steelrode-Onamission Gr2 Charity Mile and will hopefully be back in action before long.
