Post race information and news relating to major horse races. We review and analyse how these races played out and discuss the details relating to performance and any other interesting facts people in the horse racing industry find useful.
Arabian Mist left most punters gawking in disbelief and all bookmakers thinking Christmas had arrived several weeks ahead of schedule when he came from absolutely nowhere to land a 40/1 surprise in the Hertz Merchants over 1160m at Turffontein on Saturday. Despite having won the corresponding race in 2009, Arabian Mist was ignored by almost all and sundry this time around
Brazil-bred 4yo looks lively stayer in the making
The King of Kenilworth is back on his throne. Making nonsense of the belief held by some critics that he should abdicate and retire to a nice green pasture somewhere, Pocket Power showed that there is plenty of life left in his eight-year-old legs when he won the Ocean Basket Green Point Stakes over 1600m at Kenilworth on Saturday.
WFA event lives up to former reputation as glorious big race prep. Bass, regarding the course, said, “The faster the pace and the wider the false rail the fairer the Old Course is.”
Dance With Al was the solitary rose amongst the thorns when she took on 14 male rivals in the Betting World Merchants over 1200m at
Perana was by far and away the most inexperienced horse in the 16 runner line-up, and boy did it show, but even his almost complete lack of street smarts couldn’t stop him from winning the Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m at Turffontein (standside) on Friday evening. Racing for the first time since July and for only the fourth time in total, Perana did his level best to throw the race away but recovered his composure in time to get the better of some highly seasoned campaigners and in the process stamped himself out to be a three-year-old of very real potential.
Unbeaten in two starts last term and presumably kept away from the KZN winter season to be targeted at the big Cape races, Ebony Flyer was starting for the first time since she won a Listed event in Port Elizabeth in June and was the strongly supported 2/1 favourite from an ante-post call of 7/2, despite being drawn unfavourably
Kavanagh looked weighted to kill when he took on 15 fellow three-year-olds in the Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m at Turffontein on Saturday, and even a very wide draw couldn’t stop Mike de Kock’s colt from justifying his role as the well supported 22/10 favourite
Success Counts took advantage of a hefty pull at the weights and the best of the draw to cause a 14/1 surprise in the Starling Stakes for three-year-old fillies over 1400m at Turffontein (standside) on Saturday. The race marked the seasonal debut of
It was widely anticipated that a filly would win the Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup at Turffontein on Saturday, and one promptly did, but it wasn’t the one that almost everybody was expecting. This highly restricted sales race over 1400m on the standside course went the way of 22/1 outsider Hollywoodboulevard, who capsized the red-hot favourite Igugu to finally confirm the great promise she had shown when scoring by seven lengths on her debut in April.
It is eerie to think that there would have been no Siren’s Call, Sound Of Warning, or for that matter Call To Unite, had fate not decreed that Enchanted Cove follow her dam to South Africa, and that Peter de Beyer had the foresight to return Elusive Fort back home from the States as well!
There’s lots more to play for!
