A Day To Remember
Fairview 28th February: The action took place on the turf on Friday where four of the eight races were run over 1000m. The fastest of these was the Conditions Plate won by the 6yo Lecture gelding COPPER PARADE. Now a winner of eight from 45, Yvette Bremner’s charge was soon up handy. He was ridden to lead going through the 300m and won well from the former KZN campaigner TETELESTAI by a length and a quarter.
The listed Lady’s Pendant over 1200m topped the bill and here the bottom weight LIELUMS made it a day to remember for her trainer when registering her fourth career victory. Nibbled at throughout the afternoon into 13/2 from 14/1, Renate Du Plessis’ charge sat sixth during the early part of the race. She quickened well from halfway and with the rest well beaten she got up late to deny the more fancied FLY BY NIGHT.
The lucky last was a maiden plate over 1000m and here the locals were sent home happy when the well supported favourite VIRTUAL EMBLEM did the business. Backed into 12/10 from 18/10 at the track, Tara Laing’s charge raced prominent throughout. He moved through to take up the running at the 400m pole and went on to score comfortably by a length and a quarter.
Titbits
SHINE LIKE A STAR made all when winning the boy’s division of the maiden juvenile 1000m with authority by three.
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Abandoned After Just One
Greyville 28th February: The meeting at Greyville on Friday evening got underway with a maiden plate over 1200m and here a bit of an upset was to be had when the lightly raced CAPE CANAVERAL opened his account. Sporting blinkers for the first time, the 13/1 shot broke well and was nicely positioned in second as they came off the bend. He struck the front as they approached the 200m marker and kept on strongly in the closing stages of the race to beat the running on favourite SALANDER by three quarters.
A protest by lodged by the jockey’s after the running of the first race on the grounds of unsafe track conditions and as a result the remainder of the meeting was abandoned.
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Hail King Louis
Turffontein 1st March: Not the surprisingly the fastest of the three 1600m events on the old stand side track on Saturday was the first leg of South Africa’s Triple Crown, the Gr2 Gauteng Guineas. With four very talented runners in the race trainer Alec Laird dominated the betting market, but it was Geoff Woodruff who was to land the spoils with the lightly raced LOUIS THE KING. A winner of three from four coming into the race, the son of Black Minnaloushe raced in the rear for most of the journey. He took up the running going through the 400m and cruised clear from there onwards to score by five and a quarter.
The stable of Geoff Woodruff were also on the mark in the first leg of the Triple Tiara, the Gr2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas when the friendless ARCETRI PINK landed the spoils. The lesser fancied of Geoff’s two runners, the daughter of Rock Of Gibraltar was eventually allowed to leave the stalls at 25/1 after opening up at 14’s. She raced much closer to the pace than King Louis had and won well by a length and a half after striking the front 300m out.
Race five on the card was the Gr3 Acacia Handicap and in what proved to be a real thriller victory here went to the lightly raced ORATOR’S DAUGHTER. Sent off a well supported favourite at 5/2, Alec Laird’s charge attempted to make all. She was headed by the Woodruff trained LOVE VIVIEN at the 400m marker and at that stage of the race she looked beaten. This grey daughter of Oratorio rallied gamely over the final 200m though and under a classic ride from Anton Marcus she got back up late to win by a half.
Three of the events on the eleven race program were run over 1400m and the fastest of these was the MR80 Apprentice Handicap won by the KZN raider SINGING RIVER. Drawn wide at thirteen the son of Windrush very quickly found himself positioned in the rear. He quickened well at the top of the long home straight and under a confident ride from Craig Zackey, he won going away by two and a quarter.
Titbits
The Mike De Kock trained newcomer BANAADEER couldn’t have been more impressive when winning the maiden juvenile plate for the boys over 1000m. He had a ton in hand and won by eight and a quarter.
CAGIVA completed a very smart hattrick when making all to comfortably win the pinnacle stakes over 1800m.
STORM WARNING ran on very well from the rear when getting up late to win the listed Aquanaut Handicap over 2450m.
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Winning In Style
Durbanville 1st March: For the first time in quite a while racing returned to the country course on Saturday where we saw a very easy victory in the opening maiden juvenile plate over 1000m for the second favourite PERPETUA. Taken straight to the front by Christopher Puller, the daughter of Scarlet Letter led throughout. She was always in command and only having to be pushed out at the business end of the race she won with plenty in hand by four and a half.
In terms of distance the easiest victory on the card was undoubtedly that of the costly to follow DINESEN when opening her account in the maiden 1200m. Pitched in against what has to be said was a rather moderate bunch, the even money favourite raced in midfield during the early part of the race. She took up the running as they approached the 300m marker and drew clear easily in the closing stages of the race to score by seven.
Yet another to win with authority on this card was JET TURBINE in the lucky last, a maiden plate over 2000m. Backed into 6/10 from even money at the track, Yogis Govender’s charge was always handy. She was ridden to lead shortly after passing the 300m pole and went on to score very comfortably by three and three quarters. One to look out for next time from this race is the runner up EXOTIC JET. Mike Bass’ charge ran on strongly from the backend of midfield and although she was never close enough to get in a blow, she finished at least as well as the winner.
Titbits
The nibbled at HELLZAPOPPIN won the MR71 Handicap over 1600m going away by three.
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Top speedratings for this weekend include:-
Fairview Race 1: (1) True Lonhro 29 Race 2: (2) O Jallad 23 Race 3: (3) Liquification 15 Race 4: (4) Victor Silvester 51 Race 5: (3) Deepo 48 Race 6: (8) Swedish King 65 Race 7: (1) Miss Cantona 49 Race 8: (10) River Whistler 49 Turffontein Race 1: (1) Umtata 7 Race 2: (1) High Stakes 25 Race 3: (5) Supa Sami 22 Race 4: (1) Cervantes 19 (NAP*) Race 5: (6) Negev 71 Race 6: (4) Savage Wind 63 (EW) Race 7: (9) Principled 81 Race 8: (6) Rand Club 50 Clairwood Race 1: (4) He Rocks 6 Race 2: (2) Garden Treasure 23 Race 3: (1) All Is Secret 89 (nb) Race 4: (1) Mitinguett 19 Race 5: (1) Wild One 62 (NAP*) Race 6: (7) Pecan 40 Race 7: (8) Ascot Charm 44 Race 8: (7) Indian Connection 58 Race 9: (2) Trip Kings 20 Vaal Race 1: (1) Merlins Gem 8 Race 2: (3) Dravidian 13 Race 3: (1) Ermine Street 6 Race 4: (6) Sacred Temple 50 Race 5: (9) Luminous Love 54 Race 6: (9) Duty Dance 56 Race 7: (1) Dalalaat 42 Race 8: (3) Hello Polly 43 Race 9: (8) Chedwin Park 36 Race 10: (1) Sausalito Bay 24 (NAP*) .
Top rated winners last week included
Hellzapoppin won 8/1 Flame Cat won 11/2 Perpetua won 7/2 Polychromatic won 28/10 Pej won 2/1 Dinesen won 1/1 Copper Parade won 9/10 Jet Turbine won 6/10 .
Notebook:-
Banaadeer (M De Kock, Gauteng) Exotic Jet (M Bass, W-Cape) Louis The King (G Woodruff, Gauteng) .
FASTEST TIMES
The number of races run over each distance is shown in brackets *Denotes – Times taken by ClockwatcherFairview 28th February Penetrometer 21 – Going Good 1000m (4) Copper Parade 55,25 1200m (1) Lielums 67,67 1400m (1) Ashton Park 82,64 1600m (1) Daffodil Day 97,43 2000m (1) Global Express 126,53 .
Greyville 28th February Penetrometer 25 – Going G/Soft 1200m (1) Cape Canaveral 74,18 .
Turffontein (old) 1st March Penetrometer 21 – Going Soft 1000m (2) Flame Cat 57,25 1400m (3) Singing River 85,44 1600m (3) Louis The King 98,20 1800m (1) Cagiva 112,54 2000m (1) Chevalier 129,65 2400m (1) Storm Warning 158,47 .
Durbanville 1st March Penetrometer 21 – Going Good 1000m (2) Maties Wildekat 59,12 1200m (1) Dinesen 72,42 1400m (1) Mister Matchett 86,31 1600m (3) Grasp Your Destiny 98,82 2000m (1) Jet Turbine 124,45
