Lead The Charge. Monsieur Dupont (Corne Orffer) sprints clear to win the feature
Cape trainer Mike Bass sent his assistant all the way up the N3 to Pietermaritzburg on Sunday for just one runner, but returned to Durban with mission accomplished. His 5yo gelding Monsieur Dupont registered his first win in eighteen months when grabbing the Natal Carbineers 158th Anniversary Handicap.
Monsieur Dupont appeared to relish the soft underfoot conditions and enjoyed being allowed to dawdle behind his seven opponents, before unleashing a powerful late surge to win going away.
The mainliner was a humble R85 000 MR 93 Handicap on the ten race programme, but the gelding’s owners, particularly the old soldier Marsh Shirtliff, would have taken the win with both hands. The shortening of Monsieur Dupont’s price from 8 to 1, to around 15 to 2, would probably also indicate a little tickle from home.
Mister Slam led Bwana Macube and the favourite Unannounced early as the eight strong field charged through the first 400m of the race.
Monsieur Dupont languished at the rear, with his eye on Storm Bringer and Sky Marshall.
Bwana Macube looked dangerous at the 400m marker as he and Mister Slam continued to show the way. Unannounced was under pressure at this point and going nowhere fast.
At the 300m Orffer brought Monsieur Dupont with his effort and he ran on well down the outside.
Monsieur Dupont stayed on strongly to beat Bwana Macube by two lengths in a time of 71,70 secs.
Mister Slam dug deep to hold third, just in front of Cool Spender.
Unannounced ran second last and is a shadow of the horse that won his first six races on the trot.
Bass assistant trainer Robert Fayd’herbe said that jockey Jeff Lloyd had suggested that Monsieur Dupont should be tried over further than 1000m, as he enjoyed running on late.
Fayd’herbe added that part owner Marsh Shirtliff had called him and said that he should try and get another win out of the gelding.
“He is a nice little horse and he has dropped down the ratings. I felt he had a chance here, and Corne (Orffer) rode a perfect race,” he said.
Orffer, who had ridden a cracker to win the sixth race on Atamasco for Glen Kotzen, rode a double on the day and said that he knew that if he left him Monsieur Dupont alone, he would pick it up late. It worked a charm.
The winner’s trophy was presented by Lt Col Kenny Louw of the Natal Carbineers.
Louw said that his regiment was currently deployed for 6 months in Goma in the Congo.
The raceday, an annual event on the Scottsville calendar, marked the unit’s 158th anniversary.
Natal Carbineers traces its roots to 1854 but was raised on 15 January 1855 and gazetted on 13 March of that year.
In 1913, the Regiment’s two ‘wings’ became known as the First and Second Mounted Rifles (Natal Carbineers) and in 1934 they re-assumed the name 1st and 2nd Natal Carbineers. The following year, they became the Royal Natal Carbineers.
Since its inception, the Natal Carbineers has participated in every campaign in KwaZulu-Natal. Their baptism of fire came during the Langalibalele Rebellion in 1873 where they suffered their first casualties in action in the Drakensberg and during the Anglo-Zulu War, the Carbineers suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Isandlwana on the 22nd January 1879.
The Cheveley Stud bred Monsieur Dupont, is by Dupont out of the two time winning Rambo Dancer mare Ballerina. He cost R160 000 at the old Grandwest Yearling Sale and took his stake earnings to R375 903.
Monsieur Dupont has won 5 races from his 37 starts with 17 places.
He could win again on this showing in the right sort of race, if ridden in similar fashion.
