The handicappers will be scratching their heads after trainer Dean Kannemeyer pulled a shrewdie out of the hat in the shape of Runaway Song, who was stepped up to a trip for the first time and came home lonely to win Saturday’s open R200 000 Gr3 Track And Ball Derby at Hollywoodbets Scottsville.
Taking on the 2022 Gr1 SA Derby winner and 9-10 favourite Aragosta (rated 114) at level weights, and going beyond a mile for the first time, the 7-1 Runaway Song (rated 92) left the Hollywoodbets Durban July entry trailing in his wake as he ranged up wide out to go on and claim a 1,80 length victory in a time of 151,84 secs for the 2400m.
Runaway Song comes home powefully under Keagan de Melo (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The winner’s stablemate With Pleasure (20-1) rallied strongly late to pip the classy Shangani (5-2) for fourth.
It was a smart move by the astute Kannemeyer, who took Runaway Song over from Justin Snaith, and felt that given the ample stamina in the pedigree, that a stamina test could work.
Interestingly Kannemeyer trained the accomplished stayer It’s My Turn, who also raced in the Fred Crabbia silks and won this race in 2017 and ran second to the stable’s Mr Winsome in 2018. Runaway Song hails from the same family as It’s My Turn on the dam’s side.
Dean Kannemeyer thanked owner Fred Crabbia and his Racing Manager Emma Rourke. He also said that he hoped the handicappers ‘wouldn’t go crazy!’
It was Keagan de Melo’s fourth winner of the afternoon.
Runaway Song was bred by Willempie Engelbrecht Jnr and is a son of Legislate (Dynasty) out of the Spectrum mare, Miss Priss.
The winner is a R220 000 National Yearling Sale graduate and has now won 6 races with 6 places from 13 starts for stakes of R477 450.
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