Marcus and Delpech. Title fight goes to the wire.
With just over five weeks remaining of the current season, the tussle for dominance at the top of the jockey log continues to provide great entertainment.
Anton Marcus beat the Avontuur Estate sponsored Anthony Delpech 3-2 in their personal duel at Scottsville on 20 June. The current score : Delpech 183 versus Marcus’ 171. It really doesn’t get more humdrum than routine racing on a Monday in Sleepy Hollow so we appreciate these competitive side-shows which add the much needed spice and interest.
An unexciting Place Accumulator dividend of R38 just about sums up the dominance of fancied horses on a predictable looking card on a yawny sunny afternoon. Trainer Paul Lafferty pulled the only joker out of the pack for punters in the longshot Saltwater Girl, on whom apprentice Ryan Curling rode a well-judged race. The well-performed Modern Day mare , who by our standards should probably really be at stud, relocated recently to Lafferty’s yard at Summerveld from the David Nieuwenhuizen stable in Gauteng. She bounced back with zest to beat some battling males in the second leg of the jackpot, an MR 78 Handicap. The R1 million Jet Master purchase, Sir Frank, ran an ordinary looking fifth here after his good maiden win and this magnificently bred gelding is suddenly looking extremely expensive.
The day didn’t start well for Anton Marcus, or the backers of favourites, when the 5-10 shot Charro Negro somehow conspired to get himself beaten by drifting from the inside to the outside rail. It is not often that we see Marcus coming off second best in these situations but Stuart Randolph was quick on the uptake on the Drier trained Tizaloochee. The Cataloochee colt, who has not set the world alight so far, found a good finish to win well. Craig Eudey’s blinker-strike Whiter Than White caught the eye in third position and on breeding should enjoy a little further.
The Avontuur owned and bred Al Shiba finally shed her maiden certificate after a string of five consecutive seconds. She went off at 11-20 after a promising run at her previous start in handicap company and never gave her supporters any cause for concern here. She is really beautifully bred being by Al Mufti out of the ten time winning racemare Azabu Park. Her dam was trained by Gary Alexander and was bought for breeding from old Zimbabwean friends of the late Avontuur supremo, Tony Taberer. They sold out as they were emigrating to Australia. Azabu Park has produced Jet Trail who is very promising and is Group placed. Her filly, Amazing Grace, by Spectrum and trained by Alec Laird, made her debut at Clairwood yesterday and finished a respectable third over a distance which should be short of her best. Glen Kotzen bought her yearling, Hinoki, at this year’s National Yearling Sale in Johannesburg for Fred Crabbia.
Fancied Reconcile. Kotzen KZN-man Frikkie Greyling.
The Silvano mare Reconcile can certainly run on her day and recorded her seventh win from twenty-seven starts when she fought off a determined Gibson Girl, to win the Epol Pinnacle Stakes over 2400m. Having switched stables a few times in her racing career, she is a versatile and adaptable sort and has all the makings of a lovely broodmare. Originally owned by Ian Longmore and trained by Joey Ramsden, she transferred to the Glen Kotzen yard after being bought in a package deal by Singapore-based Fred Crabbia. She left the Paarl-based outfit recently for a stint with John Vos in Gauteng, before returning to the Kotzen satellite base in Summerveld under the care of Assistant Trainer Frikkie Greyling. He describes her as ‘one of my favourites – a real sweetie.’ She really enjoys the Scottsville track having won there three times, including two Listed features in The Scarlet Lady and the Off To Stud Handicap, both in 2010.
Anton Marcus and Wendy Whitehead teamed up to win the last double on the card. Two Tone Rocka showed blistering speed to run her opposition off their feet in the MR 70 Handicap over 1000m. The daughter of Bezrin has looked long overdue to score her second win and should not stop here. Those punters brave enough to back Takudswa down to even money in the last race only had a few brief moments of uncertainty as Michael Roberts’ R500 000 purchase Cucumber Alley kept rolling up front. In an open looking rather formless race, jockeyship proved the deciding factor and when you are riding the crest of a wave, you can win on anything. Marcus kept the Roberts horse in his sights and dashed past the 35-1 shot about 100m to run to win going away. Whatever the scope for improvement of either of the first two, Takudswa cost just R40 000!
