Anthony Andrews doesn’t always get the big chances and the best rides. But he’s a born and bred horseman and caught his colleagues off guard with a finely judged front-running ride on a revitalized The Futurist to win the R350 000 Ridgemont Gr3 Peninsula Handicap in the first genuine knockout of the big day at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
Anthony Andrews gets The Futurist home while Otto Luyken (JP van der Merwe, blue cap) and Infrared (Kabelo Matsunyane, obscured) complete the trifecta (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The advantage of riding longshots is that a devil-may-care approach is never going to be criticized by connections or keyboard warriors, and Andrews threw some calculated caution to the wind on the biggest outsider in an eleven horse field that included five WSB Cape Town Met entries.
In a slight variation on his memorable front-running victory on The Futurist in the Gr3 Pocket Power Stakes seven months ago, Andrews couldn’t get the gelding to move forward in the first 200m on Saturday.
But fresh from a stay on the Highveld, where he didn’t exactly shine in two starts, the gelding then took the initiative, and it was race over.
“I’m just the passenger not the pilot,” laughed Andrews modestly after the race.
In a thrilling finish, with the pack chasing hard, Andrews got The Futurist (66-1) home by 0,40 lengths in a time of 109,96 secs for the 1800m.
Otto Luyken (17-2) finished well for second, and 0,30 lengths ahead of the winner’s stablemate Infrared (7-2) back in third in what was a great race for the new father-and-son training partnership of Brett and James Crawford.
Justin Snaith’s Future Swing (5-1) was the first WSB Cape Town Met entry home, running just over a length off the winner in fourth.
The favourite Triple Time, also a WSB Cape Town Met entry, never got into things and finished in midfield.
A 6yo gelded son of Futura (Dynasty), the winner was bred by Peter Carolin and is out of the Black Minnaloushe mare, Black Mischief.
A R70 000 Cape Ready To Run graduate, The Futurist is now a winner of 6 races with 6 places from 26 starts and has earned stakes of R769 864.
Just over 646 Pick 6 tickets remained going into the final leg of the carryover exotic.
