After saddling a superb five winners at Fairview on Friday, Hollywoodbets trainer Gavin Smith has edged to ninth position on the SA national log and within three winners of reigning East Cape Champion Alan Greeff.
The local championship is decided on number of winners and the Smith team are on 135 versus the powerful Greeff team’s 138, with just one meeting of the season left. The Friday 30 July Fairview meeting declares on Monday.
The rain enforced switch from the turf to the polytrack failed to stop the march of the Smith team.
Yuzae Ramzan guides Global Drummer to his tenth victory (Pic -Pauline Herman)
An undoubted highlight of their five winners was the tenth career victory from just thirteen starts for the Ascot Stud Global Drummer, who charged home under joint topweight to win the Pinnacle Stakes over 1200m under 2,5kg claimer Yuzae Ramzan.
This was Gavin Smith’s 2500th career winner!
The Champion 2yo male of last term for the region, Global Drummer was a R250 000 buy from the 2019 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale. He has earned close on R450 000. The winner was bred by Ascot Stud and is by their exciting Galileo sire Global View out of the four-time winning Kilconnel mare, Royal Drummer.
Marco Van Rensburg opened the Smith rout with the first double in Ownyourfate and Admiral’s Shine – the latter another winner for Southford stallion Admiral Kitten, who opened his account last week.
Master Supreme made it a hat-trick of wins under Stallone Naidoo in the Eastern Cape since transferring from Gauteng.
He was the first of a double for Mauritius owner Vicky Veeramootoo – who also owns the smart Global Drummer.
The son of Master Of My Fate won the MR 90 Handicap over 2000m with a courageous show to register a career icebreaker on the all-weather.
Muzi Yeni causes the upset in the last as Justadoreher storms home (Pic – Pauline Herman)
Replacement rider Muzi Yeni rode the fifth Smith winner when Justadoreher found her feet at her third Fairview start to show some of her KZN form and win the last at long odds.
The final Fairview meeting of the season is on Friday 30 July.
