Going to Hollywood! Cliffie Miller owned and trained three winners today.
Communication, or the dire lack of it, was in the spotlight again this afternoon. Jockey Felix Coetzee was a drawcard on a rare visit to Kimberley, but after a fighting second in the fourth race, he disappeared.
We watched the afternoon’s racing. We got the replacements. But what happened to Felix? Somebody mind telling us loyal customers and long-suffering punters?
It is a strange aloof characteristic of the racing administration. They claim the credit for a lot of things, when they go right. But they need a serious wake-up call when this bizarre and routine lack of information sours an otherwise pleasant afternoon.
The good things on the afternoon belonged to Cliffie Miller and Marco Van Rensburg and to Bill Human and jockey Louis Nhlapo. The latter rode two of the three Human winners, while Van Rensburg and Miller grabbed a beautiful hat-trick.
Back with vengeance! Marco Van Rensburg bounced back from injury to ride a hat-trick.
Marco Van Rensburg returned after a broken wrist injury and month of kicking his heels. But one would never have said that he lacked match fitness, such was his devastating form.
He and Miller toppled the odds-on Clinton Binda trained Marching Band with the consistent Opera King entire Rain King in the second race, a MR78 Handicap. The 1800m trip looked on the short side for the four-time winner, but he came out fighting fit and benefitted from a top ride from the front. He was bred by longstanding KZN breeder George Rowles.
The same jockey-trainer-sire-breeder combination stepped out in the fifth race, an MR66 Handicap over 2200m and recent maiden winner Bucaneer – a horse who takes “a helluva ride” in the words of Cliffie Miller- came away to win a tough contest from the fast finishing outsider Love Warrior. He looks a fair staying prospect in the making and his grass form wasn’t too shabby either earlier on in his career.
Miller and Van Rensburg celebrated their hat-trick with a lightly raced 33-1 Argentinian bred gelding in the final leg of the jackpot. The Jaap Visser stable had a strong hand in the MR72 Handicap with five horses representing the yard, but they had a blank afternoon and it was Van Rensburg who once again rode a forward race. The winner is owned by Miller and his fiancé and was having his second Kimberley start after three turf runs – where he won his second start at Turffontein. He got the better of an improved again Night Landing, while Stephen Swanepoel deputised for a missing-in-action Felix Coetzee in third place on Shadowofthewind.
Human’s three winner streak started in the fourth race when the underrated Nhlapo somehow got National Fleet around his field from the widest draw to win a competitive little Maiden Plate over 1200m. The winner is a six year old battler but this win at his 28th start may not be his last.
In Action. Louis Nhlapo rode a double for the Bill Human yard.
Nhlapo and Human then teamed up to beat some smart sand specialists in the feature event, the Flamingo Park Sprint. Clinton Binda’s Opening Night dominated the top of the boards but faded quickly as made most of the running to win an impressive sixth race from thirty starts. Nhlapo unfortunately jumped on to wrong Human horse in the final event, where Platinum Bracelet turned up in a galloping mood after a five month break and a low-key turf career in PE. Naresh Juglall rode a well-balanced race – glancing around to wipe some mud in the faces of his opponents in the final stages.
The grey Malhub filly Umgido was confidently ridden by Donovan Mansour to win the second race, a Maiden Plate run over 1200m. Having her first run for Shaun Miller after relocating from David Rahilly in Gauteng, she was always at the head of affairs and given a breather on the bend, she ran on strongly to win readily.
Both trainer and jockey were very complimentary of Gareth Pepper, whom they credited as being instrumental in the filly’s move to the more passive pastures of Kimberley. Pepper, a familiar face on Tellytrack, runs his own bloodstock business and is an enthusiastic and knowledgeable former assistant trainer. The filly may not be going anywhere near Hollywood, but she has taken to Kimberley like the proverbial fish to you-know-what. She is owner by Franco Soru, son of Frank and Elsie Soru who are passionate owners and top-class people. The Hartebeespoort Dam based family run their own customised trailer manufacturing business in Gauteng.
Spice Added. Gareth Pepper- racing manager on the move.
The concept of the role of a racing manager has not really caught alight on a large scale in South African horseracing and beyond the existing few very capable Bloodstock Consultants, it is pleasing to see a young man like Pepper coming through the ranks, taking his chances and making a name for himself.
Now we just have to send that search party out for Felix.
