Five In A Row
Flamingo Park 19th November: The fastest of the three 1000m events in the Northern Cape on Monday was the boy’s maiden event in which the unfancied DEFEND THE DEVIL opened his account. Freely available at 50/1 on the off, the son of Slew The Red was soon up handy. He was ridden to lead going through the 100m and went on to score with some in hand.
The only race over 1600m was a MR71 Handicap and here the rapidly improving HANDSOME HUDSON completed a smart hat-trick. Usually one to run on stoutly from off the pace, Bill Human’s charge sat a little closer to the pace here in fifth. He quickened well at the top of the straight and under a well judged ride from Nooresh Juglall he got up late to deny the 3yo TOBE’S JET.
A pinnacle stakes over 1200m topped the bill and in a time some 1,5seconds faster than that of the MR66 affair over the same distance, the former Cape Town campaigner PISCES STAR extended her winning sequence to five. She got away well when the gates opened and soon up handy raced prominent throughout. She was ridden to lead as they approached the 200m marker and kept on strongly late to beat the regular place getter SURGING SECRET by a half.
Titbits
Easily six lengths off the pace turning for home, and having to switch out for a run 300m from home to boot, BABY JELLY ran on stoutly at the business end of the girls maiden event over 1400m and did well to get up in the very last stride.
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Best Of Four
Scottsville 20th November: Followers of the money got off to a good start in Pietermaritzburg on Tuesday when the heavily supported favourite SILVER SPRING did the business in the opening maiden event over 1400m. Backed into 5/10 from 11/10 at the track in what proved to be the fastest of the four 1400m events, Gavin Van Zyl’s charge was soon up handy. He was ridden to lead early in the straight and drew clear easily over the final 400m to score by four and three quarters.
Unusually, there were also four races over 1950m on the card and the fastest of these was the MR85 Handicap in which APPROACH ME registered her third career victory. Just five runners went to post and racing much closer to the pace than she had done in recent starts, Yogis Govender’s charge was always poised to strike. She did so going through the 200m and kept on strongly late to beat the former Cape Town campaigner CHIEF PIGEON by three quarters.
The only sprinting event on the card was a novice 1000m and here a major upset was to be had when SADDLE ME UP landed the spoils. Freely available at 18/1 on the off (op 20’s), Mike Miller’s charge sat at the back during the early part of the race, but in what was a very tightly bunched field going through the 400m she was only three lengths off the speed. She ran on best of all when asked for her effort and with the rest well beaten she got up late to deny the favourite CAVIAR.
Titbits
Lightly raced CLUB LANE ran on from the rear when third to the 1/3 favourite Rakaan in the first division of the maiden 1400m.
45/1 shot BOBBY MCGEE came from the back when getting up late to win the first division of the maiden 1950m.
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Still Unbeaten
Turffontein 20th November: Tuesday night’s action took place on the old stand side track where the best bet on the card for most was RUMYA in the graduation event over 1400m. Not surprisingly deep in the red, the unbeaten Rumya was soon positioned close to the speed. Her stable companion AMUR AFFAIR made the first move and struck the front 400m out. Running on stoutly from midfield at that point though was AMBER ORCHID and when she went past both Rumya and Amur Affair 100m from home it looked as if she would go on to score. Rumya found top gear below the distance though and in what proved to be a real thriller she got up in the dying strides.
At the other end of the scale the easiest victory on the card was recorded by TOP COMMAND when opening his account in the faster of the two maiden events over 1800m. In touch with the leaders throughout, Sean Tarry’s charge took up the running as they approached the 300m marker and drew clear easily in the closing stages of the race to beat GIRO JET by three and a quarter.
The fastest of the three sprinting events over 1160m was the bill topping MR90 Handicap in which the 4yo daughter of Victory Moon ALTAIR registered her second career victory. On leaving the stalls it was the grey REINE D’IVOIRE who elected to set the pace whilst Dominic Zaki’s charge sat close up in third. She moved up to dispute matters as they approached the 300m marker and after a thrilling tussle with the lightly raced COSMOGENIC she only got the verdict by a neck.
Titbits
Eyecatching debut winner COUNTLESS only got going very late when fourth beaten 2,1 lengths in the MR73 Handicap over 1160m.
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Royal Performance
Kenilworth 21st November: There were some smart performances in Cape Town on Wednesday and none more so than that of CAPE ROYAL in the graduation event over 1200m. Initially priced up favourite at 15/10, Dean Kannemeyer’s charge was allowed to ease out to 22/10 at the track as money in the main came for the previously unbeaten SUNSHINE ROCK. As expected it was Sunshine Rock who made the running and going through the 400m he held a three lengths advantage over Cape Royal. Once given rein though the son of Royal Academy quickly began to reduce the deficit and only having to be pushed out with hands and heels in the closing stages of the race he went on to win with some in hand by two and a half.
Another to win very comfortably on this card was the friendless MASTER CHI when opening his account in the maiden 2400m. Sent off as the rank outsider of the eight horse party at 50/1 (op 33’s), the son of Albert Hall was always handy. He was ridden to lead as they approached the 300m marker and after quickly skipping clear he kept on strongly late to beat the very uneasy second favourite BORDERED IN GREY (18/10 out to 33/10) by three and a quarter.
A maiden event over 1600m was next up and here we found two to follow in DYNAMIC and MUSSOORIE. The handily placed Dynamic was the first to make a move and struck the front shortly after passing the 300m marker. Mussoorie meanwhile was running on strongly from midfield and when he moved alongside 100m later battle quickly commenced. Dynamic gave his all as the rest were left trailing their wake, but try as he might he couldn’t hold on to Mussoorie who went away late to score by a half.
Titbits
ABERCROMBIE and AWESOME POWER both ran on very well from off the pace when second and third respectively in the novice 1600m won by the talented Silvano’s Jet.
Lightly raced PRICELESS JEWEL ran on strongly from the back end of midfield when only beaten by three quarters of a length in the maiden 1200m.
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Some In Hand
Vaal 22nd November: They raced on the inside track on Thursday where victory in the opening workrider’s maiden event over 1200m went to the well supported favourite COVENTRY ROAD. Not the quickest into stride, Leon Erasmus’ charge was positioned in the rear early on. Undeterred though, Tom Lukhele steadily worked him into contention and after striking the front 300m from home he easily drew clear.
Race four on the card was a maiden event over 1400m and here we saw a nice performance from the Alec Laird trained SPANDAU BALLET. Making only his second racecourse appearance here, the son of Dynasty sat in midfield during the early part of the race. He quickened well going through halfway and with the rest well beaten he comfortably accounted for the consistent SEBASTIAN BOLT by a length and three quarters.
The afternoon’s feature event was a MR94 Handicap over 2000m and completing a smart hat-trick here was the 4yo MAIN DANE. Allowed to ease a little in the betting market (9/10 out to 12/10) as money in the main came for S’IL VOUS PLAIT (9/2 into 33/10), Main Dane was always well positioned to strike. GLORIOUS JET moved through to take up the running going through the 400m, but jockey Danielson aboard the eventual winner had barely moved a muscle at that stage. The pair fought out what looked to be a thrilling finish, but whereas Main Dane was only ridden with hands and heels, Glorious Jet was all out.
Titbits
Running on from towards the rear, NEON TIGER was gaining rapidly on the winner High Lake when only failing to get up by the narrowest of margins in the MR70 Handicap over 2000m.
Races 9 & 10 were abandoned due to the close proximity of an electrical storm.
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Top speedratings for this weekend include:-
Fairview Race 1: (1) It’s In The Air 12 Race 2: (15) Mysterious City 19 Race 3: (1) Mozart Memorial 56 Race 4: (8) The Berry Man 74 Race 5: (17) Hunt The Jester 56 Race 6: (2) Celebration 53 (EW) Race 7: (6) Global Trade 56 Race 8: (8) Stars And Stripes 54 Race 9: (8) Oh So Easy 51 Turffontein Race 1: (4) Stylish Bay 19 Race 2: (6) No Prisoners 33 (NAP*) Race 3: (12) Kinematic Countess 81 Race 4: (8) Mike’s Choice 95 Race 5: (5) Amber Orchid 53 Race 6: (4) Emerald Approach 78 (EW) Race 7: (20) Silent Partner 105 Race 8: (10) Festival Of Fire 91 Race 9: (11) Winter Desire 77 Race 10: (9) Classic Illusion 89 Race 11: (9) Aconcagua 68 Race 12: (1) Taptap Makhatini 28 Scottsville Race 1: (6) Rosie The Rebel 20 Race 2: (7) Sky Marshal 80 Race 3: (7) Sanfoneiro 33 Race 4: (1) Regal Breeze 23 Race 5: (2) Awesome Beauty 67 Race 6: (11) Vladimir 57 Race 7: (4) Slinky The Cat 83 Race 8: (5) Alexander 16 Kenilworth Race 1: (4) Testing The Wind 25 Race 2: No Qualifiers Race 3: (4) Captain’s Lullaby 55 Race 4: (3) Arguto 22 Race 5: (15) Princessjacqueline 61 Race 6: (6) Rock The Country 54 Race 7: (11) River Crossing 84 (EW) Race 8: (3) Capetown Noir 83 Race 9: (8) Duke Of Destiny 31 Clairwood Race 1: (1) Cheshire Cat 22 Race 2: (1) Golden Slipper 11 Race 3: (1) Prayer Of Praise 27 Race 4: (1) Big City Angel 32 Race 5: (10) Moulin Noir 44 Race 6: (1) General Sherman 58 NAP*) Race 7: (4) Rave Melody 43 Race 8: (5) Top Of The Chocs 49 Race 9: (9) Sheikina 54 .
Top rated winners last week included
Ibiscus won 33/1 Way Clear won 22/1 Coventry Road won 19/10 Approach Me won 16/10 Blushing Peter won 13/10 General Sherman won 8/10 Silver Spring won 5/10 Rumya won 1/3 .
Notebook:-
Cape Royal (D Kannemeyer, W-Cape) Dynamic (J Snaith, W-Cape) Mussoorie (M Bass, W-Cape) .
FASTEST TIMES
(Shown in brackets is the number of races run over each distance)Flamingo Park 19th November Going – Standard 1000m (3) Defend The Devil 59,53 1200m (2) Atlantic Beach 86,50 1400m (2) Pisces Star 71,98 1600m (1) Handsome Hudson 99,80 2200m (1) Ibiscus 151,20 .
Scottsville 20th November Penetrometer 24 – G/Soft 1000m (1) Saddle Me Up 58,28 1400m (4) Silver Spring 86,80 1950m (4) Approach Me 124,68 .
Turffontein 20th November Penetrometer 22 – Going Good 1160m (3) Altair 66,88 1400m (2) Rumya 84,67 1600m (1) The King And I 97,57 1800m (2) Top Command 111,25 2450m (1) Billie Jo 157,17 .
Kenilworth 21st November Penetrometer 21 – Going Good 1000m (1) Tight Lines 60,87 1200m (2) Cape Royal 72,00 1400m (1) Control Tower 86,46 1600m (3) Mussoorie 98,78 2400m (1) Master Chi 152,56 .
Vaal 22nd November Penetrometer 20 – Going Good 1200m (1) Coventry Road 71,82 1400m (4) Menacing 82,61 1700m (1) Bezant 101,48 2000m (2) High Lake 123,55
