Warren Kennedy made it two from two when on the World Sports Betting Gold Cup Day at Hollywoodbets Greyville when he steered the handily weighted Durban Dash winner Celtic Voyager to victory for Glen Kotzen in the R85 000 Terrance Millard Listed Umngeni Handicap.
The 1000m polytrack contest honoured legendary Gold Cup trainer Terrance Millard and was the opening event of the major day Bipot, which reached a carryover boosted respectable total of R567 736.
Warren Kennedy rides another confident race to get Celtic Voyager home (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The high-riding Warren Kennedy is oozing confidence and he produced the 4yo Celtic Voyager(6-1) for his opening stakes score inside the 250m to hold the lesser fancied Brett Crawford charge, the one-eyed Traces (28-1), by about a length in a time of 56,58 secs.
Michael Roberts’ Ad Altisima (12-1) stayed on strongly for third.
The fancied Ultra Magnus (17-10) appeared run off his feet and finished fifth.
Winning conditioner Glen Kotzen thanked Gold Circle for a ‘fantastic season’.
“This horse has blossomed and we were confident coming into this race,” added the Paarl horseman, who said he was due to hit the road for home on Sunday morning.
Warren Kennedy said that Celtic Voyager had a nice weight and good form.
“He faltered but recovered well. And ran all the way to the line. I think the favourite deserves another chance, though” he added.
A R150 000 National Yearling Sale purchase, Celtic Voyager, the winner was a R150 000 National Yearling Sale graduate.
He races in the silks of Green Street Bloodstock and a partnership.
Bred by Maine Chance Farms, and a son of their exciting Silvano sire Vercingetorix, he is out of the three-time winning Black Minnaloushe mare, Cat’s Paw.
This was Celtic Voyager’s first stakes success and the progressive gelding took his tally to 5 wins with 3 places from his 13 starts for stakes of R304 374.
