The Big 'D'. Durbanville Racecourse is scenic and tranquil.
Crashing back down to mama earth. That’s the simplest way of describing the swing from Saturday’s Met party down to the country freshness and simplicity of Durbanville in midweek.
There were only 77 horses competing in the eight races, with two fields of 12 leaving the scraps for the balance of the card. What it lacked for in quality, it lacked for in quality too – but at least it was competitive at times. Probably unrealistic to expect Group racing every day of the week!
And Did Phumelela move in yesterday? Your guess is as good as ours and like with so many aspects of horseracing, the local media are left in the dark. It was quite intriguing though to watch the overseas journalists being feted like celebrities in the Met build-up. A case of the family impressing the rich uncles and aunts from abroad and ignoring the usual gang they see every day?
Let’s focus on the racing rather. Brandon Morgenrood was the most successful jockey of the day with a sweetly taken double in the third and fourth races for the Yogas Govender yard. It was pleasant seeing the Morgenrood clan on course to support the jockey, and the family gathering included his three week old son, Cruz – surely the youngest person to appear on Tellytrack ever?
Morgenrood’s first winner was as easy as the second. The merit of Gold Academy’s win in the Maiden Plate over 1400m was underlined by the fact that the daughter of Goldkeeper ran three wide most of the way from her wide draw – yet still had litres in the tank when called upon. She beat a weak bunch but looks to have improvement to come.
Morgenrood’s second winner was also an armchair ride. The Maiden Plate over 1600m looked competitive beyond the highest rated and most consistent horse in the field. And the Plattner home-bred Premium Wood won comfortably at just his fifth start when coming away to beat the outsider Sussex Drive with Flawless Gem shading the improved again Amanzi for third. The rest were well beaten.
Top ride. Glen Hatt won on Vertical Drift for Joey Ramsden.
Glen Hatt and Joey Ramsden are a lethal country combo and they picked up an early win in the second race, a Maiden Plate over 2400m. Here the awfully moderate Mr Justin made the pace for 2100m before stopping to a fast walk, as Hatt got Vertical Drift to stay on best. The typically realistic Joey Ramsden said that the Badger’s Drift gelding could have another win in him – acknowledging that the field was ‘an ordinary lot.’
Karis Teetan may have thought he was riding Jackson when setting out like a scalded cat on Bluemambo to make the pace in the MR 80 Handicap over 1800m. The enigmatic once-upon-a-time Group 1 placed son of Kitalpha was shouting for a lifeboat at the 250m marker as the opposition came at him from all sides.
The often maligned veteran jockey Karl Neisius rode a cracker to get the consistent favourite Grasp Your Destiny to rally and hold a flying Duke Of Beaufort. The photo-finish was needed to split the two but the Bass horse got the verdict for his third career win.
Dean Kannemeyer’s Lord Paramount had won over the Durbanville 1400m on debut and he showed his liking for the track with a great win in the MR 78 Handicap. Ridden with confidence from off them as the flashy Icy Jet made the pace, Felix Coetzee brought him out wide and he won going away in the Fieldspring Racing silks. The Miesque’s Approval gelding has won three of his seven starts and but for unsoundness would be a horse with a bright future.
The final race of an ordinary day, an MR 68 Handicap over 1200m, saw jockey Robert Khathi produce a rare exhibition of what he is capable of when riding a driving finish to keep Rose Loraine going to clinch a narrow decision.
Khathi is yet another of those once promising apprentices whose career has fallen between the cracks. He only rode in the final two events today, and also earned a cheque on Pelican Point at any price in the previous race for Andries Steyn .
The favourite in the last Aim Of The Game showed good pace but fell right away as Rose Loraine charged ahead from a low-flying much improved Phalaborwa Express. This was something of a bitter sweet result for the high-riding Karis Teetan who had ridden the winner in her two previous outings.
Rose Loraine is owned and trained by Greg Ennion and is really not a bad mare – recording her fifth win here from 18 starts.
