Iron Dragon may have the ability to withstand the visiting challenge
There is plenty of feature race action down Flamingo Park way in the next week with the R100 000 Kimberley Nursery headlining Monday’s programme and R435 000 worth of stakes up for grabs in three features on a rare fixture on Saturday. But the Northern Cape remains the orphan of South African horseracing and has got to be the worst marketed racing destination in the country.
There are more hardluck stories about Kimberley horseracing than any other jurisdiction in the country but it remains a popular ‘gut feel get-lucky’ course for many punters.
Times Are Changing
This coming week sees a two meeting festival’ with the local racing awards apparently being held on Friday evening. There is no hype about the happenings anywhere and we take our hats off to the diehard locals who keep the wheels turning in tough circumstances and provide racing enthusiasts with very different entertainment from what we experience anywhere else. Recent years have heralded changes from the days of Bumpie Schoeman’s commentaries and the late legend Peter Miller’s combined champion trainer, track manager and post-race interviews, to the new generation youth of Alastair Cohen and Gareth Pepper who jet in and jet out.
The longstanding Kimberley caller Bumpie Schoeman told a few lovely stories
Character
There is ample legend and myth attached to the dustbowl and the Diamond City racecourse has a unique character all of its own. Commentator Bumpie Schoeman did the Kimberley Monday round trip for 20 years. He left PE at 3am in the morning and drove back after the last race – that is 15 hours behind the wheel! Schoeman told the story of how he was calling a long distance race when he inhaled a cloud of dust from the runners passing the post for the first time. He fell to the floor choking and rolling around while punters cursed the silence, unaware of his fate. He survived and managed to get up and call the final 200m of the race! Only in Kimberley, one might say.
Nursery
Corne Spies’ Topostwego has some strong form
On Monday the Kimberley Nursery will be run over the testing 1400m track and with five visiting horses due to start, the race looks very wide open. Corne Spies has a very strong hand with a four-way coupling. Fransie Naude rides the Daring Bid gelding All The Bids, who has only won once in 9 starts but ran a fair fourth to Ajuba in older MR 68 Handicap company at the Vaal on Tuesday. That makes him a fit horse and he should be right in the action when the whips are flailing.
Promising Fanie Chambers has been engaged to ride the Muhtafal gelding Topostwego for Spies. The Summerhill Stud product has shown promising turf form and beat the rated Azzie inmate Rock Me Var at his second outing. He has two good seconds to his credit to the promising Captain Clipper and Split The Breeze and finished just 3,30 lengths off Afrikaburn in the Gr1 Golden Horseshoe. That is enough to price him up short in this field! Spies’ A P Answer filly Snow Call is the only two-time winner in the race. She has won at the course and ran on well for second behind Theory just two weeks back. Her 12 draw may stymie her chances but she has gate speed and pace to get over that.
Cliffie Miller saddles Iron Dragon
Local Hope
Cliffie Miller saddles recent maiden winner, Iron Dragon. The son of Tobe Or Nottobe scored at his third start of asking last time down the straight when beating Fort Success. He ran on well for place money at his first two starts and all signs are that he will relish the extra ground here. His dam won twice up to a mile.
Dorrie Sham Trio
Modus Tollendi is a model of consistency having earned at all his six runs. He won his penultimate start beating Iron Dragon 2,25 lengths and strictly holds Cliffie Miller’s charge on that. His 13 draw may count against him. Commanderincharge is a formless maiden who has his first run here since relocating from Carl Burger. He was backed for big money at his third start and obviously shows something at home. He would have improve out of all proportion to have a say. The Tobe Or Nottobe filly To Be Brave has won once from 7 outings. She is poorly drawn but meets Snow Call on 2kgs better terms for a half-length beating at her penultimate start.
Maiden Majority
Eight of the fourteen runners are maidens and look to have a mountain to climb. That said, it may be worth considering Tienie Prinsloo’s In Conformity, Corne Spies’ Atso’s Scheme and the visiting Carpocrates filly, Razzle My Dazzle. The Albert Hall filly In Conformity ran her best race last time when beaten 0,75 lengths by Cool Kid. Atso’s Scheme is the fourth of the Spies quartet and has run three fair races at the Vaal. He was narrowly beaten by Clinton Binda’s Night Editor on debut and would only have to repeat that run to have a shout. David Rahilly-trained Razzle My Dazzle has run three times and ran in Kimberley at her second start. She has been well beaten at all three starts and was nine lengths off Mike De Kock’s promising Aussie-bred Ataab last time. This will be weaker opposition.
Strong Form
Topostwego has collateral to some really good 2yo’s on the turf. If he adapts to the sand he should go very close from his 1 draw. The locals Modus Tollendi and Iron Dragon may be best of the balance.
