Hollywoodbets Greyville provided the irrepressible Muzi Yeni with his lucky thirteenth winner of the new season on Monday, with the industrious rider capturing the first three winners on the card.
Yeni came out with all guns blazing, riding the first two winners for Ashburton trainer Kumaran Naidoo.
Muzi Yeni keeps Var Aglow going to win the third (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
In the opener Future Princess improved on two dull turf efforts to blow a weak field away.
In the second race, Yeni booted home the Crusade filly Aunty Lizzy, who won her Vaal debut for Ash Fortune, but was unplaced and 10,35 lengths off Maryah in the Prosport International Gr2 Debutante, presented by Gagasi FM, at the Marshalls World Of Sport Festival Of Racing at end July.
Peter Muscutt saddled the Candice Dawson-trained Var Aglow in the third and the Hollywoodbets-sponsored duo produced the fireworks with Yeni again the man in the cockpit.
The gelding strikes us as something better than a two-time winner and he could pay to follow if they keep him down in KZN.
Watch the replay of the third:
The Yeni Pick 3 paid out in the region of 260-1 and it was a happier day than he experienced at Fairview on Friday, when the ball of fire was questioned regarding his ride on Juan Nel’s Variety Breeze.
The PE Stipes were particularly interested in the home straight action. Yeni told the Stewards that he was unable to secure a clear run for the majority of the straight. When it was posed to him that there may have been an available run on both his inside and outside in the concluding stages, he said that he was still baulked for a clear run at this stage. and as a result was unable to improve his position.
The Stewards have adjourned to review the footage.
Robert Khathi also faces an inquiry – he rode After The Storm in the same race.
In a separate incident, it was also stated that an inquiry will be opened to establish why Variety Breeze and Warren Kennedy’s mount Miss Nibbles suffered varying degrees of interference at approximately the 800m. Variety Breeze (3-1) finished 1,85 lengths off the winner.
The Yeni run came to an end in the Hollywoodbets Greyville fourth race when his mount Different Face could only run fourth.
The favourite Crimson Causeway, who drifted to 5-2 at the off, lost ground at the start and ran a dirt 3,10 length third behind Dean Kannemeyer’s handsome chestnut, Herecomestherain.
The inconsistent gelding drifted from 16’s to 20-1, before being backed by some shrewdies at those long odds to start at 6-1.
Watch the replay of the fourth:
Some of our readers have questioned how, after Auntie Lizzy’s win in the second – she had finished some way behind Crimson Causeway in the Gr2 feature last time – that the favourite actually drifted to 5-2.
Well, to be fair, it seems that there was money for a few other horses in the race.
That’s racing for you.
A respected longstanding supporter of KZN racing wrote to the Sporting Post:
Unfortunately since the passing of the late Jock Sproule ( head stipendiary steward) the policing of the sport leaves a lot to be desired. Just to make it clear, I am not talking from my pocket, the result of the race actually suited me. My main concern is for the future of The Sport of Kings.
