While he has some way to go to match anything near the level of achievement of his champion younger brother Charles Dickens, Somerset Maugham can run when in the mood, and the Justin Snaith-trained gelding put his act together in the chilly conditions to win the R200 000 World Sports Betting Winter Mile at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Wednesday at odds of 25-1.
With a penetrometer reading of 27 on both tracks, and the going officially classed as soft, the results were upside down, and this reality was reflected in the Pick 6 payout of over R314 000, and a healthy Jackpot dividend of more than R68 000.
Somerset Maugham (Grant van Niekerk in blue) gets the better of King Regent in an exciting finish (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Riding a well-taken treble on the afternoon, Grant van Niekerk was at his brilliant best to grab an unlikely victory on Somerset Maugham, who held the luckless one-time Hollywoodbets Durban July entry King Regent to a neck in a time of 103,56 secs.
The winner’s stablemate Speed Machine ensured a decent gallop,but faded out in the run for home and it was left went to Sugar Mountain and Gainsford to fill the quartet.
The top-class Linebacker is not at his best and had nothing to come, running a modest race out of the money.
A boardroom winner at the expense of Han Solo of the Hollywoodbets Listed Settlers Trophy back on Heritage Day in 2022 at the Country Course, Somerset Maugham is a Drakenstein home-bred, son of champion Trippi (End Sweep) out of the five-time winning Dynasty daughter Demanding Lady.
He took his stakes earnings in the non black-type feature to R489 275 with his fifth win from 27 starts with 14 places in the equation.
The victory comes just five days after another Drakenstein raced home-bred in the 4yo Winchester Mansion scored a sensational victory in the Hollywoodbets Durban July.
Watch the Winter Mile replay here:
The next Cape Racing meeting is at the same venue on Wednesday 12 July.
