Blood will out! Dean Kannemeyer trained Real Princess to win the 2016 Gr1 SA Fillies, with her son Gimme A Prince storming to victory in the Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint in 2023.
On Sunday the family tradition continued over the course and distance with Real Princess’ 3yo son The Real Prince proving the handicapper’s early assessment of his ability to be spot on.
Craig Zackey steers The Real Prince to a smooth win (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Bred and raced by Khaya Stables, The Real Prince won impressively on his Hollywoodbets Kenilworth debut in early December, before an injury set him back. His return to action at the end of June on the polytrack was nothing special – he was slow out and didn’t enjoy the kickback.
But on Sunday in the KZN Capital City, he showed that he could be a low mileage 4yo to keep an eye on next season, when he burst through late to give his more experienced and very capable contemporary Strathclyde 2,5kgs and a hiding.
Easy to back at 6-1, The Real Prince beat tote favourite Strathclyde (3-1) by 2,70 lengths in a time of 68,32 seconds.
“I am going back to Milnerton at the tail end of the winter, so we may give him another run here. But I am pleased that he showed his ability today and I hope Lady (Christine) Laidlaw was watching. She has enjoyed plenty of success with this good family,” added Kannemeyer.
Kannemeyer and Craig Zackey got the day off to a flyer when Fred Crabbia’s R1 million National 2YO Sale graduate Lucrative, a Maine Chance bred daughter of Vercingetorix (Silvano) stormed through from off the gallop in a race of three parts, to catch the free-striding Panthera Uncia in the shadow of the post to win the 1200m fairer sex Maiden Plate.
Dean Kannemeyer had recently moved the 2yo up from a wet and gloomy Milnerton, and she certainly showed her appreciation of the sun on her back.
It was good to see Far End Farm’s Jane Thomas on track to enjoy seeing a filly she selected at sale, win so well.
While the second race, a 1750m Maiden Plate, looked a straight tussle between Dapper, Burning Man and Kinnikinnik, it was Duncan Howells and the Hollywood Syndicate who pulled the ace out of the bag in the shape of the Missing U Syndicate bred Futura colt Mike’s Mazarin.
Sean Veale has Mike’s Mazarin in control as Burning Man (Fourie) tries hard (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The athletic sort is bred for ground and improved dramatically on his ordinary 1200m debut under Sean Veale to pip Burning Man. The fancied Dapper was very coltish and his modest third suggests his mind is not in the right place.
The Sporting Post-sponsored Sean Veale chirped that he had noticed trainer Duncan Howells was ‘box walking’ so he was happy that he could give the trainer a good ride and a winner.
Originally called Meta Star, Mike’s Mazarin was named by David Thiselton after his late brother Mike, and Mazarin, the first Durban July winner that David backed.
Richard Fourie and Glen Kotzen teamed up to deliver the first favourite to score on the day when Maine Chance and their kingpin Vercingetorix celebrated a double after Lucrative had won the opener, when Facile came home first time in the blinkers under quite a hard ride to shed her maiden in the third, a F&M Maiden Plate over 1950m.
After two fair fourths over shorter, Facile looks set to improve as a 3yo over a bit of ground.
Mike de Kock’s Flower Alley filly Woodland Glade has proven something a friend of the bookies but she finally put her second win together at her sixteenth start when benefitting from a typically determined Muzi Yeni ride to beat the equally consistent Escape Artist in the Jackpot opener, an MR 82 Handicap over 1950m.
The race provided some decent entertainment, with the 3yo getting the better of the older girls. The tote favourite Faizah just tired late, to hold on for third.
The Barrington Stables duo of Rachel Venniker and Michael Roberts grabbed the limelight in the sixth race, a competitive mixed sex MR 68 Handicap over the 1000m straight.
With the tote favourite Spririted Flight ruining her chances by fly-jumping at the break, it was left to the 6yo Crusade gelding Northern Warrior to register his sixth win from 48 starts, as he collared the the free-striding 5yo Cotton Ron late in the race.
Peter Muscutt and Tristan Godden teamed up with the Varsfontein raced and bred Mascherina in the penultimate race of the day. The Gimmethegreenlight half-sister to Malmoos has now won 3 from 7 and is a 4yo to watch, according to her trainer.
The gulls scatter as Tristan Godden unleashes Mascherina (outside rail) in the penultimate (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The bomb arrived in the final race of the day and provided Tony Rivalland and his staunch owner Mary Liley with some compensation after Strathclyde’s walloping by The Real Prince earlier on.
Matthew Thackeray produced the biggest outsider in the MR 88 Handicap in the shape of the well-bred Harley Street, who paid R71 a tote win and R21-20 a place. The son of Var, a full-brother to Cape sire Talk Of The Town, beat Down By The River and the widely gated Kitchakal, who ran a cracker under Kobeli Lihaba to round off the trifecta.
The Pick 6 ended up paying R225 905.
There is no local racing on Monday, after the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth racemeeting was moved to Wednesday 24 July, where it shares billing where with the next KZN racemeeting – also at Hollywoodbets Scottsville.
