Randall Simons. Rode the winner for Paul Matchett
The shock withdrawal of the Louis Goosen trained Trip Tease overshadowed the record breaking Pick 6 pool celebrations that heralded the start of the R125 000 Sophomore 1000 run at the Vaal on Saturday.
There was plenty of interest in the big exotic, with the R 5 275 619 eventual gross pool overshadowing the TAB marketing forecast of in the region of R3,5 million.
The much anticipated duel between the runaway debut winner Trip Tease, and the handsome Gold Prospector fizzled to nothing, after Trip Tease bolted from the start after playing up.
To the obvious disappointment of his connections, he was withdrawn and, while Gold Prospector’s backers had to be subjected to a thirty percent reduction, things worked out better for Pick 6 punters with the tote favourite winning.
Tiger Territory and Shepherd’s Song showed plenty of early toe, with the fit as a fiddle Campbell Black being followed by Francois P.
At the 400m the handsome chestnut Gold Prospector moved forward and looked as if he would gallop away, but Hennie Greyling appeared to have conserved another effort fromTiger Territory and the gelding came right back for more.
After a brief exchange inside the final 300m, Gold Prospector kicked on to win convincingly at 19 to 10 by 1,75 lengths in a time of 59,32 secs.
Tiger Territory looks very promising and stayed on for second, with the Mike De Kock runner Sole Mio staying on nicely for third.
Randall Simons rode Gold Prospector for owner Lawrence Pillay, and trainer Paul Matchett.
The winner was bred by Messrs Jolliffe and Kidd and is by Horse Chestnut out of the four time winning Goldkeeper mare, Velvet’s Image.
This was Gold Prospector’s third win from four starts and R168 125 in prize money.
Gold Prospector is a R260 000 Cape Premier Yearling Sale Book 2 graduate.
He looks a promising sand specialist, and what a pity that Trip Tease decided to give the show a miss.
