Reach For The Stars
Fairview 3rd March: They raced on the turf in Port Elizabeth on Friday where four of the nine races took place over 1200m. The MR80 Handicap was surprisingly the fastest of these and here we saw a smart performance from the 3yo ZEVENASTIC. Sent off second in the betting market at 5/1, Alan Greeff’s charge raced in the rear for most of the journey. He was ridden to lead going through the 300m and although IMPERIAL GUARD tried his best to make a race of it, he did have that one held by a length and a half at the wire.
The listed Ibhayi Stakes topped the bill and in what proved to be the faster of the two 1400m events, GIMME THE STARS showed good improvement. On leaving the stalls it was the Cape Town raider COCK-A-HOOP who elected to make the running whilst the son of Gimmethegreenlight sat some 3,5 lengths away in fifth. He quickened well down the long home straight and with the rest comfortably beaten, he got up late to beat the front runner by a neck.
Race 5 on the card was a MR100 Handicap over 1200m and here it was nice to see the 4yo THAYER back in the winner’s enclosure. Now a winner of seven from sixteen, Thayer, in a very tightly bunched field, raced sixth. He put his head in front as they approached the 200m marker and drew clear easily in the closing stages of the race to score by two and three quarters.
Titbits
Easy to back GOLD FORCE ran on well from the rear when a three quarter length third in the MR60 Handicap over 1200m.
AUNTY CAROL ran out a very easy winner of the maiden plate over 2000m.
3000 For De Kock
Turffontein 4th March: Run in a faster time than the two Gr2 Guineas races was the Gr3 Acacia Handicap, and here victory went to the lesser fancied of Mike De Kock’s two runners NOTHER RUSSIA. Drawn widest of the fourteen, the daughter of Tiger Ridge was guarding the rear as they turned for home. She ran on best of all in the long straight though, and despite hanging badly across the track, she got up very late to deny the easy to back BELLA SONATA.
By far the fastest of the three 1400m events on the card was the Gr2 Hawaii Stakes and here the stable of Mike De Kock were again on the mark when RAFEEF landed the spoils. Now a winner of five from eight, the son of Redoute’s Choice was always handy. He struck the front 100m out and ran on strongly below the distance to beat the rallying pacemaker NEW PREDATOR by a neck.
The only other distance to stage more than one race was 1160m. Both were maiden plates, with the faster being the boy’s affair won by the newcomer SOCIAL ORDER. Allowed to drift right out to 6/1 from 28/10 at the track, Sean Tarry’s charge raced a handy sixth for the majority of the trip. He quickened well from halfway and cruised clear to score by four and three quarters after striking the front 150m from home.
Titbits
AL SAHEM and HEAVENLY BLUE were both running on strongly at the finish when 2nd & 3rd respectively in the Gr2 Gauteng Guineas.
AL HAWRAA was hampered and had to switch 250m out when running on from midfield to finish runner up in the Gr2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas.
Two From Two
Kenilworth 4th March: Although it wasn’t a fast run race, the quickest of the three 1200m events in Cape Town on Saturday was the MR72 Handicap won by the 3yo STRAAT-KIND. Sent off a well-supported favourite at even money, the unbeaten daughter of Var led throughout. She appeared to be just doing the necessary until challenged 200m out, and won a bit more easily than the official winning margin of a length would suggest.
The faster of the two 1600m races was the MR72 Handicap won by GYRE. Always one to run on stoutly from off the pace, the 4yo son of Windrush was in the rear coming off the bend. Once in the new course straight though, he ran on best of all and under a well-judged ride from Richard Fourie he got up late to beat MEGA SECRET by three quarters.
They also ran two races over 2000m and quickest home here was one of the 3/1 joint favourites SKIP A BEAT. Another to run on stoutly from the rear, Andre Nel’s charge struck the front 200m out and kept on strongly late to beat SILVAN STAR by a half.
Titbits
Freely available at 16/1, the 2yo AL MARIACHI showed big improvement when comfortably accounting for the 1/5 favourite KASIMIR in the opening maiden juvenile plate over 1200m.
Top speedratings for this weekend include:-
Flamingo Park (mon)
Race 1: (1) Elysian Fields 16
Race 2: (1) Roy’s Donkey 28
Race 3: (4) Manoeuvre 9
Race 4: (1) Tornado Dance 6
Race 5: (3) Elusive Freedom 10
Race 6: (10) Silence Descends 62
Race 7: (4) Fatal Attraction 25
Race 8: (13) Dunham 46
Race 9: (8) Classe Mondiale 39
Race 10: (17) Black Rake 44
Vaal (tues)
Race 1: (5) De Nimes 30
Race 2: (3) Roberta’s Passion 18
Race 3: (1) Starpath 6
Race 4: (1) Trellis 8
Race 5: (5) Commodore Al 44
Race 6: (5) Honolua Bay 47
Race 7: (10) Chartwell 51
Race 8: (7) Blue Diamond Road 53
Race 9: (15) Fashion Fusion 49
Scottsville (wed)
Race 1: (4) Pathway To Glory 7
Race 2: (12) Victory Trip 9
Race 3: (1) Moon Shadow 22
Race 4: (3) Miss Varlicious 76
Race 5: (5) La Suerte De Matar 38
Race 6: (6) London Knight 40
Race 7: (9) What A Wonderful World 42
Race 8: (2) Venice In May 4 (NAP*)
Turffontein (thur)
Race 1: (6) Rumbavar 36
Race 2: (1) Highlander 6 (NAP**)
Race 3: (5) Flying Free 8
Race 4: (1) Madam Secretary 18
Race 5: (8) Goodytwoshoes 32
Race 6: (7) Parisienne Chic 54
Race 7: (6) Kings Archer 98
Race 8: (8) Vulcan 58
Race 9: (2) Western Warrior
Top rated winners last week included
Je Suis Silver won 8/1
William Nicol won 11/2
Secret Warning won 5/2
Kir Royale won 22/10
Royal Utopia won 2/1
Star Profile won 16/10
Whorly Whorly won 12/10
Patchouli Queen won 13/20
Notebook:-
Al Sahem (S Tarry, Gauteng)
Zevenastic (A Greeff, E-Cape)
FASTEST TIMES
The number of races run over each distance is shown in brackets
*Denotes – Times taken by Clockwatcher
Fairview (turf) 3rd March
Penetrometer 21 – Going Good
Course Variant: 1,56slow
1000m (1) Via Seattle 58,51
1200m (4) Zevenastic 69,52
1400m (2) Gimme The Stars 85,26
1600m (1) Kir Royale 96,60
2000m (1) Aunty Carol 127,70
Turffontein (old) 4th March
Penetrometer 25 – Going G/Soft
Course Variant: 2,27s slow (bend)
1000m (1) La Bella Mia 58,92
1160m (2) Social Order 68,59
1400m (3) Rafeef 86,21
1600m (3) Nother Russia 99,62
1800m (1) Fangia 115,32
2000m (1) Oriental Oak 129,14
2450m (1) Royal Honour 158,62
Kenilworth (new) 4th March
Penetrometer 21 – Going Good
Course Variant: 0,78s slow
1200m (3) Straat-Kind 71,50
1400m (1) Lady Vogue 91,21
1600m (2) Gyre 99,20
2000m (2) Skip A Beat 127,00
