Fastest of Five
Fairview 18th November:
Friday’s action took place on the turf where five of the afternoon’s ten races were staged over 1600m. Quickest home in these was KANARA when registering her fourth career victory from just fifteen starts in the MR84 Handicap. In what soon became a very strung out field, Alan Greeff’s charge was positioned at the back entering the long home straight. Running on best of all when the field began to concertina though, the daughter of Silvano struck the front 150m out and won going away by two and a half.
Three of the remaining five races were run over 1000m and stopping the clock in the fastest time here was the 33/10 joint favourite CARDINAL. Another to run on stoutly from rear, Justin Snaith’s charge comfortably accounted for CAPTAIN ON THE RUN by a length and a quarter.
Race 3 on the card was a MR66 Handicap over 1800m and here a bit of an upset was to be had when RUSH IN showed good improvement. Freely available at 13/1 on the off, Gavin Smith’s charge was yet another to come from the rear. He put his head in front shortly after passing the 200m pole and won going away by two and a half from TITUS.
Titbits
GREEN LANTERN was finishing best of all when only beaten a neck in the false paced Guineas Plate for 3yo’s over 1600m.
ORACLE KINGDOM won the opening work rider’s maiden plate over 1000m with authority by two and a half.
Shedding Weight
Greyville 18th November
By far the fastest of the three 1600m races on the poly track on Friday evening was the MR74 Handicap won by the 6yo LUCKY LUCIANO. Clearly benefiting from the reduction in weight due to apprentice Arries’ 4kg allowance, Sean Tarry’s charge was soon up handy. He was ridden to lead as they approached the 100m marker and kept on strongly late to beat the rallying REACTIVE (raced 2nd – led 300m) by a neck.
The faster of the two MR66 Handicaps for the girls over 1900m was the first division in which the 5yo PEACE AGAIN gained just reward for her recent consistency. Another to benefit from an apprentice allowance (albeit just 1,5kg), the poorly drawn Ashaawes mare was a little slow into stride, and as a result she raced in the rear early on. She made up the deficit quickly in the short home straight and won going away by two and a quarter after striking the front 200m from home.
The boy’s division was the faster of the two maiden plates over 1400m that had opened up proceedings, and here we saw a comfortable victory for the well supported 11/10 favourite CAPTAIN OF ROCK. Taken straight to the front by Anton Marcus, the son of Seventh Rock made all. He raced a length clear for most of the journey and although the always handy SCARABEAST did cut that advantage in half in the closing stages of the race, he never really looked like being overhauled.
Titbits
Sporting blinkers for the first time, the 5yo PHOEBUS found good support prior to winning the MR62 Handicap over 1200m with authority by two and a quarter.
Setting The Standard
Kenilworth 19th November
The Gr2 Selangor Cup over 1600m topped the bill on the old course on Saturday and in what proved to be the fastest race of the day comparatively, GOLD STANDARD caused a major upset. Freely available at 28/1 in his bid to complete a hat-trick here, the son of Trippi raced at the back of the nine for most of the journey. He quickened best of all when they turned into the strong headwind, and got the better of another progressive sort in EDICT OF NANTES (raced 8th – led 150m) close home.
Racing for a first prize five times bigger than that of the Gr2 Selangor Cup was those contesting the non-black type Ready To Run Cup and in what proved to be fastest of the three 1400m events on the card, the Gauteng raider SAFE HARBOUR landed the spoils. On leaving the stalls it was SERGEANT HARDY who elected to make the running and going through the 200m he was two lengths clear. He looked to have the field held at that stage, but then tiring in the final 50m he was picked off by the filly (raced 7th) very late.
The only other distance to stage more than one race on this card was 1200m and in the fastest of these, a MR76 Handicap, we saw an impressive performance from the unbeaten Foxwedge filly QUICK BROWN FOX. Confidently ridden by Greg Cheyne, Brett Crawford’s charge raced in midfield during the early part of the race. She only had to be pushed out in order to hit the front and won going away by three and a quarter with plenty in hand.
Titbits
The 22/10 favourite MOUNT KEITH drew clear with ease from the 300m marker when getting off the mark in the opening maiden place over 1200m.
Ready To Progress
Turffontein 20th November
They raced on the inner track on Sunday where the final two races on the card were abandoned due to an electrical storm.
Three of the seven races that were run took place over 1800m and quickest home amongst these was SNOWDONIA when registering her third career victory in the MR79 Handicap. Freely available at 22/1 on the off, Paul Peter’s charge raced in midfield for most of the journey. The field was always tightly bunched though, and when asked for an effort she soon began to make headway. She struck the front 100m out and kept on strongly late to fend off a determined challenge from TIGER FLAME.
The faster of the two 1600m races was the MR66 Handicap won by DUZI MOON. Drawn a little wide, Geoff Woodruff’s charge raced in the rear early on. He quickened well coming off the strip and with the rest some five and three quarter lengths adrift, he comfortably accounted for the easy to back JUST A GIGOLO (also came from the rear) by a length and a half.
Race four on the card was priced up as a boat race between the Gr2 Dingaans entry HAMAAN and DEVADIP, and so it proved to be. Both raced handy, but it was the deposed favourite Hamaan who got first run. He struck the front early in the short home straight and although the newly installed favourite did leave the rest trailing in his wake, he couldn’t make any impression in the closing stages of the race.
Titbits
The lightly raced 3yo ARLINGTON ran on well from midfield when a 0,9 length runner up in the maiden plate over 1450m.
Top speedratings for this weekend include:-
Flamingo Park (mon)
Race 1: (3) Olimpic Airways 6
Race 2: (8) Tesla 7
Race 3: (11) Gentleman Jack 36 (EW)
Race 4: (3) Bold Man 8
Race 5: (5) L’Attitude 32
Race 6: (1) Black Toga 59
Race 7: (15) Buster Posy 35
Race 8: (8) Western Force 46
Race 9: (2) Open Your Heart 12
Vaal (tues)
Race 1: (4) Devadip 41 (NAP**)
Race 2: (9) Pilou 10
Race 3: (6) Rhyme Or Reason 14
Race 4: (13) Victor’s Castle 38
Race 5: (8) William Nicol 71
Race 6: (13) De Lujo 52
Race 7: (4) Rafa 70
Race 8: (9) Pyramus 39
Kenilworth (wed)
Race 1: (1) Moon Princess 19
Race 2: (1) Our Destiny 74 (NAP*)
Race 3: (2) Icon King 29
Race 4: (2) Black Parrot 9
Race 5: (5) Catkin 81
Race 6: (8) Larimar 51
Race 7: (8) Ledbury 53
Race 8: (6) It’s My Turn 94
Race 9: (4) Hernando’s Promise 25
Vaal (thur)
Race 1: (9) Bi Pot 22 (nb)
Race 2: (8) Alaadel 22 (NAP**)
Race 3: (5) Enchanted Rock 13
Race 4: (14) Jameson Girl 15
Race 5: (1) Samurai Blade 65
Race 6: (6) Eloquence 56
Race 7: (13) Woody Glow 45
Race 8: (10) De Lujo 48
Race 9: (3) Watabout 36
Race 10: (7) Invincible Flame 39
Top rated winners last week included
Kahlua Rose won 28/1
Smart Mart won 3/1
Mount Keith won 22/10
Rouge Allure won 22/10
Drum Fire won 18/10
Captain Of Rock won 11/10
Tilbury Fort won 1/1
Brazuca won 9/10
Notebook:-
Hamaan (S Tarry, Gauteng)
FASTEST TIMES
The number of races run over each distance is shown in brackets
*Denotes – Times taken by Clockwatcher
Fairvew (turf) 18th November
Penetrometer 22 – Going Good
Course Variant: 0,22s fast
1000m (3) Cardinal 57,11
1200m (1) Reef Of Fortune 69,69
1600m (5) Kanara 97,11
1800m (1) Rush In 110,25
Greyville (poly) 18th November
Going Standard
Course Variant: 0,07s fast
1200m (2) Phoebus 70,58
1400m (2) Captain Of Rock 83,35
1600m (3) Lucky Luciano 95,11
1900m (2) Peace Again 116,22
Kenilworth (old) 19th November
Penetrometer 21 – Going Good
Course Variant: 0,03s slow
1200m (2) Quick Brown Fox 72,75
1400m (3) Safe Harbour 85,06
1600m (3) Gold Standard 96,82
3200m (1) Smart Mart 207,43
Turffontein (inner) 20th November
Penetrometer 20 – Going Good
Course Variant: 1,91s fast
1200m (1) Seattle Lady 71,87
1450m (1) Woodland Sage 88,30
1600m (2) Duzi Moon 96,54
1800m (3) Snowdonia 110,46
