We suggested earlier this week that Muzi Yeni could be a factor in this season’s jockey championship chase.
The Stone-Stamcor stick of dynamite banged home two winners for Kelly Mitchley at Fairview on Friday, including a strong ride to get East Cape first-timer Prince Of Fire home in the first leg of the Nelson Mandela Bay Poly Challenge.
The classy Alan Greeff-trained Cliff Top was all the rage to win the R175 000 Nelson Mandela Bay Poly Challenge 1200, and the son of Canford Cliffs ranged up down the middle late in the race looking a likely winner.
Prince Of Fire (Muzi Yeni) ranges up the inside to collar Richard Fourie and Cliff Top (Pic – Pauline Herman)
But Muzi Yeni doesn’t take getting beaten lying down, and the former East Cape Champion produced Prince Of Fire (8-1) down the inside with a bold sustained effort to register his 23rd winner of the new season.
Making up good ground, the 5yo son of Gimmethegreenlight made it a winning local debut on transfer from the Johan Janse van Vuuren yard as he had the luckless Cliff Top’s measure by a neck. No time was published.
Gallic Tribe (7-1) made up lengths from way back to bank the third cheque, a further neck away. He could certainly be a factor in the next two legs on this run.
Prince Of Fire’s win capped a double on the day for trainer Kelly Mitchley and Yeni. The young conditioner, only in her second full season, is clearly going places after notching 40 winners last term.
Enjoy the replay:
Sharon Kotzen was also dominant, saddling three winners.
Prince Of Fire is raced by Messrs Wernars, Joannides and Willson and has won 6 races with 3 places from 15 starts for stakes of R421 937.
Bred by Brian Finch’s Ditro Bloodstock, he is a 5yo gelded son of newly crowned champion Gimmethegreenlight (AUS) out of the top-class Joshua’s Mistress (Joshua Dancer).
It’s a tough ‘triple crown’ to win, but Prince Of Fire, who was effective up to a mile in Gauteng is now in line for the bonus of R250 000 payable to the connections of the horse that wins all three legs of the Nelson Mandela Bay Racing Poly Challenge.
The second leg of the Challenge will be run over 1400m on Friday 29 September, with the third and final leg contested over a mile on Friday, 20 October.
