An acknowledged master of the art of prepping 2yo’s to win early, trainer Mike Miller saddled the quartet in the Hollywoodbets Scottsville opener on Sunday.
Miller saddled five of the seven runners in the 900m Maiden Plate and it was the outsider of his quintet in the shape of the 40-1 Captains Envy who produced a powerful late burst to nab her more experienced male stablemate Holds The Key (evens) and beat him by 0,20 lengths in a time of 51,76 secs for the 900m.
The quartet in the seven horse field paid R1 235-20.
Mathew Thackeray (black cap, outside) sneaks up to nab Tristan Godden on favourite Holds The Key (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The upstaging of a favourite in a multiple runner baby race was a repeat of two weeks ago when the Miller horses ran 1-2-3 in the opening juvenile race of the KZN racing season.
There it was again the underrated Mathew Thackeray who spoilt the favourite backers party when he came with a late rattle on Ben Sahd’s Querari filly Siesta Sunset (10-1), to cut down her more fancied and very pacy stablemate Holds The Key (15-10).
Tristan Godden has ridden Holds The Key on both occasions and he will no doubt be keen to make it third time lucky for the son of What A Winter’s supporters.
Bred by the late David Abery and Klawervlei Stud, Captains Envy is a daughter of Pomodoro (Jet Master) out of the one-time winning Captain Al mare, Frosted Steel.
“My son Sterling and I had R100 000 for her at the Cape sale. We bid R20 000 and there wasn’t another bid. We are not complaining,” recalled Mike Miller, as he explained that the 2,5kg sex allowance makes a massive difference.
“Andrew Fortune always said that juveniles can’t carry weight,” he added.
Jockey Mathew Thackeray conceded that Captains Envy was ‘more forward’ than he had anticipated after riding her in work at home.
