Fourth Estate seen winning earlier in his career
The Colin Scott-trained Fourth Estate is something of a Greyville specialist and he registered his first stakes victory at his 44th start at the advanced age of 7 when staying on smartly to spreadeagle his field in the R200 000 Gr3 Christmas Handicap at Greyville on Friday evening.
Fourth Estate paid a generous R11-90 on the totalisator for a win and provided his sensational sire Dynasty with his third winner of the evening.
The twilight meeting heralded the first KZN racing over Christmas at Greyville after a lifetime at the now closed Clairwood and a good crowd showed their support for the holiday entertainment as intermittent showers kept most under shelter.
Fourteen horses lined up in the evening’s feature, with Paul Gadsby’s poorly drawn Candy Moon (under replacement jockey Gavin Lerena) jumping as tote favourite.
Fourth Estate was three from last as Distinguished took up his customary pacemaking role ahead of Stolen Destiny, Diamond King and King Of Torts
Distinguished led for home, but the omnipresent Diamond King quickly moved up to challenge as Fourth Estate, who had made up good ground through the field, slipped through down his inside.
Alec Forbes – another polished ride and a double on the evening
With one gentle reminder of a flick of the whip from the in-form Alec Forbes, the son of Dynasty stormed clear and went on to win very easily from Diamond King, with the consistent Isobar coming from miles back to run into third.
Trained by Colin Scott, Fourth Estate was a second winner on the evening for Alec Forbes.
He ran third in the same race behind King Of Torts last year but had not won in over a year.
He was bred by Tertia Properties and is by Dynasty out of the twice winning Jallad mare, Ritualistic.
He cost R60 000 on the National Two Year Old Sale and has now clocked up gross stakes of R673 225 with his eighth win and 12 places from 44 starts.
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Gr3 Christmas Handicap (SAf-Gr3)
Greyville, South Africa, December 26, R200k, 1600m, turf, good, 1.35.82
1 – FOURTH ESTATE (SAF), 56.0, b g 7, Dynasty (SAF) – Ritualistic (SAF) by Jallad (USA). Owner Messrs R T Scott, B Bougardt & N Govender; Breeder Tertia Properties; trainer C Scott; jockey A Forbes
2 – Diamond King (NZ), 52.0, b g 4, More Than Ready (USA) – Salsa (NZ) by O’reilly (NZ)
3 – Isobar (SAF), 57.5, b g 5, Tiger Ridge (USA) – Forecast (SAF) by Western Winter (USA)
Margins: 2.25, 1.00, 0.05
