Glen Kotzen and Muzi Yeni opened the Marshalls World Of Sport Festival Of Racing at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday in beautiful weather conditions with the versatile Gary Player Stud-bred past Algoa Cup winner Cat Daddy staying on best to win the Listed Darley Arabian.
The mile feature was sponsored by Marshalls World Of Sport saw an open field line up in the opener of the final day of the SA Champions Season.
Muzi Yeni rides a balanced finish to get Cat Daddy home (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
While Muzi Yeni ended up riding a cracker on the handily weighted 8-1 shot, he may not have inspired too much confidence to the connections after entering the parade ring believing the race was to be run on the turf.
“He’s a much better horse on the polytrack, and I don’t know why I thought we were on the turf,” he laughed.
Yeni has enjoyed a great season and tracked the leader Wonderwall before surging forward to hold off a spirited challenge from Richard Fourie on Native Tongue (7-2) by a neck in a time of 93,67 secs.
The runner-up’s stablemate Pinkerton (12-1) stormed through late down the outside for third.
The weak tote favourite Indlamu was a head back in fourth.
Cat Daddy is by Mauritzfontein’s Kingmambo stallion Ideal World out of the Black Minnaloushe mare, Eyona – the latter a one time winner.
Now a winner of 6 races with 11c places from 28 starts, Cat Daddy has boosted his stakes bank to R685 475.
He turns 6 on Sunday.
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