The KwaZulu-Natal trainers will be wondering why they waited for the introduction of the RaceCape incentive carrot before taking their chances again in the big league summer season down South.
The often-maligned Summerveld soldiers took the honours in four of the ten races at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday, including the afternoon’s feature.
In the days of yore, the Durbanites used to be a serious force. After a few years in the wilderness, they are gaining respect and edging back slowly, with the RaceCape incentive clearly the drawcard.
Sporting Post-sponsored Thandi Mgudlwa steers Evening Primrose to a smooth win (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
On a confidence boosting afternoon, Gareth van Zyl grabbed a double, crowned by a win in the day’s headliner, with Peter Muscutt and Dennis Drier adding to the raider basket, celebrating a winner apiece.
The R200 000 Tattersalls Listed Jamaica Handicap was the penultimate event on an enthralling afternoon’s horseracing, that capped a week of entertainment, including the big business of the Tattersalls Cape Premier Yearling Sale on Thursday.
In a field of ten, there was plenty of interest in the Brett Crawford-trained Dynasty 4yo Time Flies, who was on a hat-trick in a race she looked capable of winning.
But after stalking her field from the rear it was not to be, as the only visitor in the line-up made it 2 wins from her 3 starts in the Cape.
Tattersalls’ John O’Kelly is flanked by Spencer Cook and Cape Racing’s Devon Pretorius (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Evening Primrose, one of two Flower Alley daughters in the 2000m race, tracked the free-striding Young Love all the way round. Her happy pilot Athandiwe Mgudlwa enjoyed the distinction of being the first Sporting Post-sponsored jockey to win a feature in the Cape and rode a finally judged race on a windy afternoon.
Into the home run Young Love was running on empty halfway home as Mgudlwa slipped Evening Primrose (4-1) through down the inside. Despite lugging outwards towards the middle of the track, she kept on galloping and held on convincingly to beat a late-finishing Gold Poker Game (5-1) by 0,20 lengths in a time of 127,28 secs.
Assistant Spencer Cook was clearly pleased!
A hard ridden Flower Of Saigon (33-1) finished third, a further 1,25 lengths back, knocking a good few Place Accumulator tickets for a six after the favourite Time Flies (3-1) was left with too much to do and ran on too late.
Tattersalls veteran John O’Kelly presented the winning trophies.
Spencer Cook allows the public to connect with the winner (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein, the winner is a 4yo daughter of Flower Alley (Distorted Humor) out of the twice-winning Dynasty mare, Noor. Evening Primrose was thus the second consecutive Cape feature winner for her sire after Princess Calla won the Cartier Gr2 Sceptre Stakes on L’Ormarins King’s Plate day.
A R280 000 National Yearling Sale graduate, Evening Primrose has won 5 races with 3 places from 12 starts for stakes of R434 313.
Well-known local racing-cum-breeding personality, and now an Assistant trainer, Spencer Cook received plaudits from winning conditioner Gareth van Zyl for the sterling work he is doing at the team’s satellite yard, in what has been a super summer season so far.
Watch the official replay here!
