Paarl trainer Glen Kotzen and his Woodhill Racing Team bid to make history at Fairview on Friday when their Dynasty gelding King Regent tackles seven opponents in the R175 000 Nelson Mandela Bar Racing Poly Challenge 1600 and bids to become the first horse in history to win the Nelson Mandela Bay Racing Poly Challenge Triple Crown.
Denis Schwarz and King Regent are set for an entry into the history books on Friday (Pic – Pauline Herman)
Raced by Cape stalwart owners Gisela Burg and Martin Wickens, the Ridgemont bred 5yo was a smooth winner of the first two legs over 1200m and 1400m, and it’s difficult to see him being beaten – even if he is yet to win over further than 1400m in 16 starts.
King Regent does, however, have some smart collateral over a mile and beyond in decent company, including a fourth placed finish behind Itsrainingwilliam in the WSB Gr3 Legal Eagle Stakes last term and a second behind Somerset Maugham in the Winter Mile.
An honest and consistent galloper, King Regent can bank the R109 375 first cheque as well as the R250 000 bonus on offer, to add to his current earnings of in excess of R1,1 million and his six career victories.
Something of legend in his time in the Eastern Cape, the Lammerskraal bred Go Deputy gelding Gogetthesheriff, the reigning East Cape Polytrack Horse Of The Year, came within a proverbial heartbeat of winning the Polytrack Triple Crown in the inaugural running in 2016.
Jacques Strydom trained the late-dash specialist for owner Freddie van Onselen.
Flashback to 2016: Gogetthesheriff runs on for third behind Jet Explorer (Bling Khumalo) and Ochoncar (Andrew Fortune) as his bid to win the inaugural Poly Triple Crown is shattered (Pic – Coastal Photography)
Gogetthesheriff won the first leg under JP van der Merwe beating Happy Lion, and then followed up under Ryan Munger when accounting for Cruzcampo in the 1400m second leg.
The fairytale ending sadly failed to materialize in the final leg on 13 May 2016 when Gogetthesheriff flew up for third under JP van der Merwe, beaten by the Snaith’s Jet Explorer (Smanga Khumalo) and Ochoncar (Andrew Fortune).
The key to beating King Regent on Friday lies with Alan Greeff and Gavin Smith who saddle five of his seven opponents. But Denis Schwarz knows King Regent well, and with the benefit of a pole position draw and some pace in the race, the duo should make the long trip up the beautiful Garden Route worth the effort.
1st R109375, 2nd R35000, 3rd R17500, 4th R8750, 5th R4375
NELSON MANDELA BAY RACING POLY CHALLENGE 1600
Open – 3rd Leg (Non-Blk Type)
No Apprentice / Female Sex Allowance
| 1 | 1 | King Regent | 62 | 114 | A | Denis Schwarz | Glen Kotzen | |
| 2 | 6 | Cherry Ano | 62 | 111 | A | Craig Zackey | Gavin Smith | |
| 3 | 4 | Bush Tracker | 62 | 104 | HA | Luyolo Mxothwa | Sharon B Kotzen | |
| 4 | 2 | Inherit The Rain | 61 | 99 | TBA | Richard Fourie | Alan Greeff | |
| 5 | 8 | Global Ally | 61 | 98 | T A | Kendall Minnie | Alan Greeff | |
| 6 | 7 | The Mauritian | 59.5 | 96 | T A | Chase Maujean | Alan Greeff | |
| 7 | 3 | Syx Hotfix | 59.5 | 92 | A | Muzi Yeni | Gavin Smith | |
| 8 | 5 | Euphoric | 53.5 | 76 | TBA | *Donald Geerthsen | Jacques Strydom | |
| Same Trainer | ||||||||
| (2,7) (4,5,6) | ||||||||
The Kotzen team also saddle State Capitol in the final event. The lightly raced 5yo is a late bloomer, only winning her maiden this season, but ran a decent follow-up earlier this month at Hollywoodbets Durbanville and must be a consideration if she takes to the polytrack.
The Fairview racemeeting enjoys an early start at 11h30 on Friday. The feature is off at 14h25.
