King of Pain wins the Magnum Mile
King Of Pain earned a crack at the Vodacom Durban July when lady luck finally swung his way in the closing stages of the Magnum Mile at Kenilworth on Saturday, writes Michael Clower.
The 6-4 favourite held on by the skin of his teeth as Night Trip came at him, but only after Bernard Fayd’Herbe made the right call after a split second of mental agonising.
“He shifted away from the stick when I gave him a tap right-handed and I knew I had to change my whip hand. But he is so lazy that, if I did that, he would slow down and we would get beat. In the end I kept it in my right and he kept going.”
Only the stipes disapproved. They fined him R1 000 for hitting the horse more than three times on consecutive strides. But the result was a marketing man’s dream because Wayne Kieswetter, whose wife Bridget is a co-owner, owns Magnum. Joey Ramsden, whose stable is sponsored by the liqueur company, recalled: “In the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate things didn’t happen for King Of Pain and in the J & B Met I was convinced there would be a pace.
“I was wrong,” added the pin-striped trainer, clearly in a dramatic mood. “When you live by the sword, you die by it and now he’s got to do KZN. Some of the owners have suggested the President’s Champions Challenge in Jo’burg but I believe that there are better pickings in Durban.” The money poured on Fayd’Herbe’s mount Red Flame in the opening Snaith Maiden as if there was no tomorrow but, by the time the newcomer got the message, the Adam Marcus-trained Fairy Maker was home with Gerrit Schlechter standing in for the sidelined Greg Cheyne.
Vaughan Marshall had his first two-year-old winner of the season when MJ Byleveld conjured a renewed effort from the pace-setting Man From Milan in the Inform Maiden to give Anthony Russon success with his first runner. George O’Brien, Russon’s co-owner, clicked again in the Tekkie Town Maiden with Anzac following up for the Marshall-Byleveld team. Not to be outdone, Yogas Govender and Aldo Domeyer doubled up for Sabine Plattner with Nordic Jet and French Revolution.
Dean Kannemeyer confessed to being a relieved man after Karl Neisius produced Sir Duke in the Variety Club colours to take the Highlands Handicap. He said: “A lot of my horses have been running a bit below their best. It’s nothing that I was able to put my finger on and it’s the sort of thing that all trainers go through – you just have to sit tight and not panic. But hopefully this means we are turning the corner.”
The phone is beginning to ring again for Greg Ennion who turned his own corner on New Year’s Day. Two new owners who called during the week will have been encouraged by the way Black Kitten responded to Robert Khathi’s urgings to get up 30m out for Braam and Marius van Huyssteen in the mile handicap.
Tellytrack presenter Grant Knowles, fascinated by Khathi’s admission that he had lost a kilo in two races, mused: “Maybe I should ride in a few!” Hot favourite Alascan Maiden managed only fourth and, although the course vet could find nothing wrong, Fayd’Herbe reported that the filly did not stride out freely. Mike Bass had better luck with Gaynor Rupert’s superbly bred Shingwedzi (Sean Cormack) in the Jonsson Workwear Handicap.
The UCT RAG promotion was a big success with 1920/30s-dressed students all over the racecourse and even 29 of them stripping to their underwear for a replica of July day’s celebrated 13th race. Co-promotor Jonathan Snaith said that Stellenbosch University will also be brought into the picture next year.
The university racedays were a popular annual fixture until a straight-laced racecourse manager called a halt after discovering that one of the big evening attractions was the use of the pens for activities way beyond anything in Malan du Toit’s curriculum. “That decision was a terrible mistake,” said chairman Vidrik Thurling who takes a more ‘students-will-be-students’ approach and pointed out that many of them are the racegoers, and owners, of the future.’
