An important scientific complimentary tool of the trade for punters and racing enthusiasts, sectional timing data can enhance both the form study and horseracing viewing experience on both KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape race meetings.
Aldo Domeyer and Tenango leave them chasing shadows – he is one for the notebook (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
In this third of a new weekly column, Time Is Money, we look at some of the past weekend’s highlights, and commence with Friday evening’s Hollywoodbets Greyville racemeeting.
Hollywoodbets Greyville (poly) 7 February
Track Condition:
37mm of rain fell in the week leading up to this meeting with 30mm of that landing in the last 24 hours before this information was disseminated.
The going was posted as standard.
There was a light to moderate north easterly headwind of 5-15km/h.
Course Variant: 0,77s slow.
Even before the condition of the track clearly deteriorated prior to race 7, the times of the earlier races show that the course was rain affected. 80% showers had been predicted and looking at the puddles at the side of the track before the first race, plenty of rain had clearly fallen.
Hollywoodbets Bright Future Class 3 1200m
Taking all of this into account then, the fastest of the evenings’ eight races was the Class 3 1200m event won by the well-supported favourite MR MASTER STARTER (33/10 into 9/4).
Early followers of this column would have already picked up the trend of horses sitting in the box seat, as was the case here with the winner. Mr Henley looped runners at the start of the race and then proceeded to slow with every 200m section.
Racing in second was Common Ground and he too followed a similar pattern before fading even more quickly. Confidently ridden meanwhile, “in the box seat” in third, the winner took up the running 100m out and won going away.
Hollywoodbets Kenilworth 8 February
Track Condition:
Just a half of a millimeter of rain fell in the seven days leading up to this meeting so during the same period 55mm of irrigation was added to the track.
The resulting penetrometer readings were 23 in the straight (good) and 24 on the turn (good to soft).
The false rail was in its original position from the 1700m mark with a 4m spur at the 600m mark. The outside rail was in 4m from the 600m mark.
There was a moderate north westerly tail wind of between 10-18km/h.
Course Variant: 0,55s fast (straight) 0,51s slow (bend).
Hollywoodbets Bright Future Class 3 1200m
By far the fastest of the three 1200m races on the card was the aptly named Hollywoodbets Bright Future Class 3 event in which the highly regarded TENANGO registered his fourth career victory from just eleven starts.
Backed into 5/4 from 5/2 at the track, Candice Bass-Robinson’s charge raced three and a half lengths off them in seventh early on. His sectionals were consistent and strong though from there onwards and only having to be pushed out, in order to take up the running 150m from home, he won with authority.
Another to keep tabs on from this race is the runner up Rosh Kedesh. Racing behind the winner, he too set solid fractions and finished well.
Country Championship 1000 Final
The favourite was also on the mark in the 1000m Country Championship Final in the form of UN BEL DI.
In a race that was also run at a fair clip, the 3yo son of Querari broke well and raced just half a length off the speed. He kept up a strong gallop throughout and although the pace naturally slowed over the final 200m, his 400m to finish time was only 0,16 seconds behind that of the fastest finisher of the afternoon. That was recorded by Go It Alone who finished third in this race.
Country Championship 1800 Final & 1600m Final
Comparatively the fastest of the four races around the turn was the 1800m final in which LA PULGA scored a facile victory. The pace was a fair one in the early stages, and led by Gentleman Joe they clocked a time rounding the turn considerably faster than the two 1600m races.
The front runner kept on determinedly in the closing stages of the race and did well to hold on for second place. Nicely positioned in sixth some four lengths off the pace for most of the journey though, La Pulga had always been travelling well and soon began to make headway on entering the straight. He was ridden to lead as they approached the 300m marker and after quickly going clear won easing down by a length and three quarters.
The 1600m final was not surprisingly the faster of the two 1600m events. In a race that was run comparatively slowly around the turn, the field was tightly bunched entering the straight and the race developed into a sprint. Joint favourite RICH FOLKS HOAX quickened nicely at that point and under a well-judged ride from Craig Zackey, he put his head in front 100m out.
Fastest Times:
- 1200m (3) Tenango 71,43
- 1600m (2) Rich Folks Hoax 100,92
- 400-finish Go It Alone 23,02
Hollywoodbets Scottsville 9 February
Track Condition
31mm of rain fell in the previous seven days and so no irrigation was added to the track.
With the penetrometer reading 28 on both tracks the going was posted as Soft.
The false rail was out 3m.
There was a light to moderate south easterly crosswind of between 10-15km/h.
All races around the turn were run on the inside track.
Course Variant: 0,53s slow (straight) 083s fast (bend)
UmThombothi Stakes (NBT) 1950m
Favourite backers got off to a rough start in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday when the 5/10 market leaders got rolled in the opening two races. The latter of which was the 2023 Summer Cup winner Royal Victory in the bill topping Umthombothi Stakes.
Thrown in at the weights and well suited to the posted soft going, Nathan Kotzen’s charge raced fifth of the six early on. The pace wasn’t a hot one though and the 800m-600m segment (approaching the straight) was noticeably slow. In the following segment all of the runners quickened by a higher than normal amount of between 1,25 & 1,5 seconds. Clearly the race developed into a 600m sprint then and Royal Victory never got in a blow.
Meanwhile at the head of affairs throughout, the Pomodoro gelding SELUKWE set consistently strong fractions over the final 600m and went on to record the afternoon’s fastest 400m to finish time.
Gallop TV B Stakes 1400m
Three of the afternoon’s nine races were run over 1400m and in the fastest of these IMPOSING registered his fourth career victory. The pace was a good one and Michael Roberts’ charge sat in midfield for most of the journey.
Once in the straight though, he quickened best of all and in what proved to be the second fastest 400m-finish time of the afternoon (just 1/100th of a second slower than Selukwe) he got the better of the well supported Tyrconnell by a neck.
Interestingly, taking times around the turn, the three 1400m races were run a minimum of two seconds faster than the two 1600m races and the 1950m race. The 1400m times, also suggest that the going on the inside track was not so soft.
Hollywoodbets Bright Future Class 4 1200m
Two 1200m events brought the afternoon to a close and in the faster of these the lightly raced ABADDON gained his second win from just four starts. Easily 8 lengths off the pace for the first half of the race, the Flying The Flag gelding quickened best of all when the early effort began to take it’s toll on the leaders.
He struck the front 60m from home under a well-judged ride from Tristan Godden and won going away.
Fastest Times:
- 1200m (2) Abaddon 70,10
- 1400m (3) Imposing 83,60
- 1600m (2) Tomyris 97,78
- 400-finish Selukwe 23,47
Notebook:
- Tenango (C Bass-Robinson)
- Rosh Kedesh (D Kannemeyer)
