After coming within a heartbeat of causing a massive upset with Second Base in Saturday’s R2 million World Sports Betting Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes at Turffontein, jockey Chase Maujean and promising young trainer Robyn Klaasen were summoned to the Stipes boardroom.
In a race run 2 seconds slower than the fairer sex equivalent under the lights and on softer going won by Gilded Butterfly (carrying a kilo less) a few hours later, Summer Cup hero Puerto Manzano pipped former stablemate Second Base in a terrific finish.
For journeyman rider Chase Maujean and trainer Klaasen – what a groundbreaking win it would have been for her – it was a rollercoaster of racing’s typical highs and lows.
200m out their off-form son of Gimmethegreenlight looked to have done enough. But it was not to be.
Chase Maujean’s body language says it all as Second Base goes close (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The Stipes have reported that in the closing stages, pacemaker MK’S Pride (M Yeni), who had come to the end of his run, was carried in and had to steady momentarily to avoid the heels of Maujean’s mount Second Base, which commenced to hang inwards and shifted inwards.
In this incident, MK’S Pride and Rain In Holland (R Fourie) brushed, and Rain In Holland and Puerto Manzano (De Melo) brushed, all of which raced in restricted galloping room on the inside of eventual runner-up Second Base.
Maujean was charged with a contravention of Rule 62.2.7 in that he, as the rider of Second Base, was deemed to have failed to ensure that he did not cause interference to Puerto Manzano, MK’S Pride and Rain In Holland when he shifted in in the concluding stages.
Watch the end stages replay here:
Maujean signed an Admission of Guilt and is suspended from riding in races for a period of ten (10) days.
When assessing the penalty, the Stipendiary Stewards advise that they gave regard to the status of this race, the number of horses affected and that possibly MK’S Pride had lost the fifth position as a result of this incident.
The vastly improved performance of Second Base also came under the spotlight.
When questioned regarding the apparent improved performance from her second placed charge, notwithstanding that it was its first race for her after a recent change of stables, Robyn Klaasen told the Stewards that this gelding has reacted positively to its change of environment and work pattern that she had introduced since its arrival in her yard.
She added that the removal of the ear muffs for Saturday’s race could also have contributed to the improvement and she intends to race the gelding without this equipment in the immediate future.
All of the runners, with the exception of MK’S Pride, are 2023 Hollywoodbets Durban July entries.
