Print the Pounds coming home lonely under Denicious Smith (Pic:Gavin Mcleod)
Print The Pounds established her supremacy in the 1600m Fillies Classic at Borrowdale Park on January 25, and is very likely to make her presence felt in the remaining three-year-old Classics. Although the Tote favourite, Picalilly, came through strongly when approaching the finish, the result was never in doubt, writes Sheldene Chant.
By AP Answer and bred by Clifton Stud, Print the Pounds has now recorded three successive victories around the turn. She is trained by Bridget Stidolph, owned by the Sunmark Syndicate who won this race in 2014 with Casey’s Dance. The in-form Denicious Smith was in the irons.
As for the rest of this quite important race – the first leg of Zimbabwe’s Triple Tiara – it remained a mystery as I was watching the racing on Tellytrack.
Once again the coverage of Borrowdale Park’s main event was handled with seeming contempt. At the best of times the Borrowdale races receive short shift, with little or no time allowed for shots of horses in the Parade Ring, or going down to the start etc.
However, this time, the TV coverage was particularly remarkable – to put it politely.
Scottsville’s sixth race was delayed slightly so the scheduled Borrowdale start was only a few minutes away.
However Tellytrack switched from Scottsville to Sedgewick, rather than Borrowdale Park, in order to feature a 3-mile hurdle race, with five runners.
Halfway through the event at Sedgefield, we glimpsed the Borrowdale Park Fillies Classic field coming into the home straight for a quick dash to the line.
As soon as Print The Pounds passed the finishing post it was back to Sedgefield, where the five hurdlers were still plodding along.
Earlier in the afternoon the fifth race at Borrowdale Park had to be recorded – clashing with Sedgefield again – and when there was an objection to the winner of the seventh and last race, there was no replay.
Then viewers had to wait for three-quarters of an hour before hearing that the objection had been upheld and the judge’s result changed.
Wesley Marwing was fined for this moment of exhultation which came just before the post on Rock The Country (Pic: Gavin Mcleod)
One can only conclude that Tellytrack hates Borrowdale Park and seeks to undermine us – or the interest/betting on the early Sedgefield races is phenomenal, which I seriously doubt – or perhaps the poor presentation, generally, of racing in Harare is to blame.
It is past time the Borrowdale Park camera equipment was replaced, regardless of the cost. We have a beautiful racecourse but on the screen the turf, silks and horses appear to have been immersed in bleach. Needless to say the visuals from Scottsville and Sedgefield were bright, colourful and sharp.
The vast majority of punters watch racing on some sort of screen and need to be able to see, clearly and easily, what is happening in a race.
Gokhan Terzi and Apprentice Wesley Marwing teamed up for an excellent afternoon. The pair won the 1300m Maiden Plate with Sema Sky; the 1300m Merit Rated 75 Handicap with Super Trouper, and the 1600m Merit Rated 75 Handicap with Rock The Country. Terzi also saddled Eversolucky, with Quinton Riddle up, who ran third in the Fillies Classic.
