Trainer Dean Kannemeyer put the cherry on top of a superb 2015 out of his permanent Summerveld satellite base when Fred Crabbia’s It Is Written stormed home to win the R250 000 Gr3 Christmas Handicap at a mixed polytrack-turf meeting at Greyville on Boxing Day.
It Is Written (Stuart Randolph) powers home to pick up the major spoils in the Gr3 Christmas Handicap
The Vodacom Durban July winning combination of Kannemeyer and jockey Stuart Randolph were back on their favourite hunting ground and put what looked like a decent challenge of local handicappers to the sword, after enjoying a perfect passage from a 1 draw in the mile handicap contest.
Dean Kanemeyer – another feature for Crabbia
After the enthusiastic 9yo Royal Zulu Warrior had set a decent gallop in the well subscribed feature , the race for glory was on down the home straight and any one of half the field looked to have a chance at the 300m marker.
With Anton Marcus unleashing the consistent Stormy Eclipse down the wide outside from many lengths back, Stuart Randolph produced It Is Written down the inside as the son of Dynasty took the shortest route home.
It Is Written ran on best to win well by 1,25 lengths in a time of 96,91 secs.
Stormy Eclipse ran a courageous race after a slow start, to grab second, to give Dynasty a 1-2 in the race.
The weak 15-4 favourite Saratoga Dancer maintained his consistency by staying on for third.
Stuart Randolph – confident ride
A solid handicapper, It Is Written showed early promise and was being spoken about as a July candidate. His two KZN Champions Season victories culminated in a good win in the KZN Breeders 1600.
He ran in the Consolation July where he finished 8,40 lengths behind Ultimate Dollar.
Saturday’s win was his first this season after three outings and he is a decent sort who looks most effective around a mile to 1800m.
It was Kannemeyer’s second December feature winner for owner Fred Crabbia, after Captain Alfredo had clinched top honours in the Listed Southeaster Sprint at Kenilworth on 5 December.
It Is Written was bred by Keivan Stud and is a son of last season’s Equus outstanding stallion Dynasty out of the one-time winning Northfields mare, Good Rapport.
A R210 000 National Yearling Sale purchase, It Is Written has now won R535 925 in stakes and took his win tally to 7 with 2 places from 21 starts.
He is the 32nd stakes winner for former Horse Of The Year Dynasty, whose son Fourth Estate won the same race back in 2014.
Sire of last year’s R5.2 million record priced colt at the same sale, Dynasty has a superb draft of 14 lots on offer at next month’s Cape Premier Yearling Sale.
They include a half brother to current star Silver Mountain and a colt bred on similar terms to Artie Schiller (Lot 42), a half brother to G2 Selangor Cup winner Hard Day’s Night (Lot 35), a filly out of Danehill Dancer’s superbly bred G3 winner Crimson Blossom (Lot 183), and a half brother to G1 winner Wavin’ Flag.
Jockeys can achieve success without being hitched to a dominant yard. Keagan De Melo proved that and was the most succesful rider on the day with four well taken winners – for four different yards.
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Gr3 Christmas Handicap (SAf-Gr3)
Greyville, South Africa, December 26, R250k, 1600m, turf, soft, 1.36.91
1 – IT IS WRITTEN (SAF), 56.5, b g 5, Dynasty (SAF) – Good Rapport (SAF) by Northfields (USA). Owner Mr A L A Crabbia; Breeder Keivan Stud; trainer D Kannemeyer; jockey S Randolph
2 – Stormy Eclipse (SAF), 55.5, gr g 4, Dynasty (SAF) – Stormy Appeal (SAF) by Kilconnel (USA)
3 – Saratoga Dancer (SAF), 56.0, b g 4, Mambo In Seattle (USA) – Super Elle (SAF) by Model Man (SAF)
Margins: 1.25, 0.50, 0.75
