Highveld trainer Clinton Binda’s Cape Summer campaign landed back on its feet in the space of 63,91 seconds at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday when the gutsy Rafeef gelding Ziyasha finally produced something near his best to win the R225 000 World Sports Betting non black-type Bantry Bay Stakes by a nostril at a knockout 40-1.
Ziyasha (Raymond Danielson) holds on to beat Meu Capitano under Richard Fourie (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
After two modest starts in the Cape, and with dreams of taking on the best in the Gr1 Cape Flying Championship on Met day evaporating fast, Binda took the blinkers off and flew Winning Form-jockey Raymond Danielson in for the ride. ‘Stingray’, something of a low-key super sub at the best of times, had once got Ziyasha to within a neck of champion sprinter Thunderstruck in a Pinnacle Stakes at Turffontein, and seemed like as good an option as any.
It panned out, and after pinging the gates in the fourteen-strong field, Ziyasha was always in the firing line as Bereave and The Abdicator led the charge early.
Going into the final 250m, Ziyasha was up for the taking as he raced in the open.
But he found another gear and held on to beat the fancied Meu Capitano (2-1), with the consistent Questioning (9-4) a length further back in third ahead of Future Variety (20-1), who capped the quartet, 2,55 lengths off the winner.
“I must thank so many people. And I must say I don’t usually buy crooked legged horses, but Craig Carey said he’s a machine,” mused a delighted Clinton Binda as he explained that his charge was having his peak run today and said that the feature plans were back on track and that they may even stay on for the Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes
A second consecutive feature winner bred by the high-riding Ridgemont on the afternoon, the winner is a son of Rafeef (Redoute’s Choice) out of the four-time winning Kingmambo mare Kelly’s Olympics.
A winner of 5 races with 9 places from his 15 starts, Ziyasha took his stakes bank to R548 550. He cost R325 000 at the National Yearling Sale.
