Joshuas Crown(inside) gets the better of Coltrane and King Jace (outside)
The R135 000 Listed The Sledgehammer produced the finish of the afternoon at Scottsville on Sunday when under a length blanketed the first four horses past the post. The local hardknocking handicapper Joshuas Crown did much of the donkey work and got the tight verdict, although Joey Ramsden would have been thrilled by the performance of his stayer, Coltrane.
The Giant’s Causeway gelding Coltrane had impressed over ground during the Cape Summer Season and this would have been a too short prep run for later targets. He showed his wellbeing by taking off late and only being denied by the bob of the heads.
It wasn’t a happy race though for the balance of the Cape attack with the Mike Bass trio running in the bottom quartet and the Snaith’s True Master and Vaughan Marshall’s Tribal Dance also running out of the money.
Julius Mariba rode a sensible race on Joshuas Crown
Trainer Alastair Gordon sent out Keisatsu to win the second race under Nicky Roebuck and the yard had Joshuas Crown fit after a recent consistent run of good runs.
Despite being marginally in under sufferance, he took them on and was handily placed in third as Serissa led early from Tribal Dance with Coltrane wider out.
At the 300m Joshua Crown continued to lead but appeared under pressure as they fanned out.
But despite the momentary lapse, he continued to gallop under Julius Mariba and ran on doggedly wuth Joey Ramsden’s stayer Coltrane just failing to get to him as they ran to the line. Garth Puller’s King Jace was just a short head back in third in a result that was in the melting pot until they hit the line.
Mariba rode a great race and Joshuas Crown hung on to win by a short head in a time of 109,21 secs.
The 22 to 10 favourite One Cool Dude encountered a few traffic problems late in the straight and he only managed fourth, just a half length behind the third placed runner.
Joshua Crown has now won 5 races with 11 places from 26 starts and R424 425 in stakes.
Bred by NM Raw, he is by Joshua Dancer out of the one time winning Severin mare, What A Promise.
