Just 24 hours after his year older Rafeef half-sister Fun Zone registered her third career victory down in the Cape, the Daytona Stud-bred one-eyed galloper Winter Games went start-to-finish to hold off the favourite Gladatorian in the R165 000 Listed Kings Cup at a sunny Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday.
Mathew Thackeray (red cap in centre) times it sweetly on Winter Games as Gladatorian (Sean Veale in gold cap) comes on late, with Diani (Ryan Munger, white cap) completing the trifecta (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Either one of the Mike Miller duo could have been expected to make the running, but with a snappy break from his pole position gate under a galloping 51,5kgs, Winter Games (9-2) stretched the field and kept rolling under a nicely judged ride by Mathew Thackeray to beat the low-flying favourite Gladatorian (18-10) by a fast diminishing neck in a time of 96,39 secs.
Ryan Munger got Diani (25-1) into the trifecta, a half length further back, with the winner’s stablemate Narina Trogon (17-2) capping the quartet, 1,25 lengths adrift of the third.
Bright View Racing Syndicate’s brand ambassador Mathew Thackeray confirmed that Winter Games’ last workout ‘was phenomenal’. There was some betting support to underscore that!
“A horse of his size carrying that weight could go all day,” suggested the lightweight, who smartly sped it up around the bend off a soft lead.
It was a first feature winner for owner Ben Sahd, who races the 4yo gelding in partnership with Sterling Miller.
Trainer Mike Miller saddled a gun-to-tape double on the day after the Erik The Red colt Vikings Revenge won the opener under Tristan Godden on debut.
Bred by Daytona Stud, Wintre Games is a son of Champion Sprinter What A Winter (Western Winter) out of the once winning Ideal World mare, What Fun.
This was a first stakes success for Winter Games, who made it 3 wins with 5 places from 18 starts and stakes of R355 838.
A reminder that the next KZN racemeeting is under the lights on Friday 28 March, when the Gr3 Byerley Turk heads the card.
