Our summer season is in full swing with runners in almost every centre. We had a winner in Johannesburg, were just touched off in the feature in the Eastern Cape and had a couple of nice winners in the Western Cape, where all the action seems to be, writes Joey Ramsden.
I said all along last year that our 2 year olds looked a special bunch and they seem to have trained on to be nice 3 year olds.
It was always going to be tough to get them fit and ready, with AHS needing doing and horses coming in after holidays on the farm.
We had a game plan this year and tried to stick to it and hopefully now it will pay dividends. Our horses have all run well on their comeback runs and seem to be backing up those runs.
I was particularly impressed with Newlands. He finished a good second to Whisky Baron. Both have had the cruellest cut of all and I am sure both will improve a whole lot more.
It was lovely to see our 3 year old Captain Al, Pillar Of Hercules, win a handicap carrying quite a big weight. The trouble is, unless he is a Group horse, the end of his career could have come before he has even got started.
Let’s see how things turn out. Maybe I am a bit too much with the doom and gloom – certainly not about him but how the races pan out for him in the future.
Peter Choice
On Saturday, it was lovely to see my old friend, Peter Choice, and his now-entrenched “must go for” race, the Gr2 Choice Carriers Championship.
It was won by what looks to be a good one in Ektifaa, trained by Mike de Kock.
Mike de Kock struck with Ektifaa
Great to see Mike come down and hit the local boys early. He is certainly laying down his intent. It was also good to see it ridden by a young up-and-coming jockey in Callan Murray. Looks to be interesting times ahead as the fillies all appeared to finish in a bit of a heap and who’s who in the zoo still needs to be sorted out. Time will tell.
We had our own excitement for the day with one runner in the Gr3 Drakenstein Vet Clinic Cape Classic.
It is a race we usually do well in and once again Lady Luck shone down upon us with Table Bay.
Table Bay – he still has more improvement to come!
He was given a positive ride by Anton (what else!) and he travelled well and won a good race. People would have been disappointed with his debut but I have been saying all along it is different tactics this year.
Dare I say it: I think there is more improvement in him and we will have to plan our races as we go along and talk to the Mayfair management as to their needs and requirements.
We had a couple of nice runners on Tuesday and we also have an interesting card for this weekend. Although the fields are small down here, the quality is high and it looks to be a great season ahead.
Things are also hotting up in Johannesburg with the Summer Cup. Let me tell you; it is never easy juggling the two racing centres and all the commitments that go along with it.
The Melbourne Cup was won by Almandin, beating Heartbreak City ridden by the Master Joao Moreira in an extremely tight finish. How often can we say that will happen?
They finished a long way clear of third and it just goes to show what a strong pace the race was run at. Most were left wanting.
An amazing achievement by Lloyd Williams to win five Melbourne Cups, an achievement we will not see again – certainly not in what is left of our short lifetime!
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