Rock Hard turns up the volume
HORSERACING is a sport with a script all of its own and well illustrated at Scottsville yesterday. Mark Dixon had all but given up on Rock Hard, indeed the original owners had already bailed, and the gelding raced in the trainer’s silks in the Qualified Maiden.
Rock Hard had shown early promise and was not expected to stay a maiden for long.
However, what he showed at home stayed at home.
“He works with anything. He’s just a frustrating horse.
“Any decent offers will be willingly accepted,” quipped Dixon.
Stretched to a mile once again, he kept finding under Keagan de Melo who was booting home his third winner of the afternoon.
The opposite was expected of Dixon’s stable star Isigamoya who earned a crack at a feature when holding off the lightly weighted Deep Down Rebel with the favourite A Womans Way beaten early in the race.
“We always thought quite highly of her,” said regular pilot De Melo of his fourth winner owned by stalwart owner Bruce Lin in partnership with Dixon.
Things got a little tight towards the end but De Melo always had the situation in hand.
“We were giving her (Deep Down Rebel) seven-and-a-half kilos so I didn’t want to get there too early.”
“This was a competitive field,” said Dixon, “and I though she won a very good race with that weight and that (soft) ground.
“I just wanted to see how she went and I think she’s earned a crack at the Magnolia Handicap on Summer Cup day.
She should travel - she has a lovely temperament.”
Dixon trained Isingamoya’s dam, Shoot The Breeze, who in spite of an off-set knee managed to win three races, one at Scottsville and two on the Vaal sand.
De Melo kicked off his day with a double for Dennis Drier, saddled by long-time assistant Stuart Ferrie.
Drier, in Cape Town for their feature season with a select string, and Ferrie have a friendly rivalry as to who can have the most winners in Drier’s absence.
Drier is still blank with Ferrie building a comfortable lead.
Anthony Delpech pitched in with a double, Rikitikitana for Sean Tarry whose stable has hit top form, and Roy’s Marciano for Kom Naidoo.
Back to the drawing board for Craven
GUINEAS and Hong Kong hopes for Craven took what could well be a fatal knock when the 13-20 shot could only manage fifth behind 13-1 chance Mega Secret in the Racing It’s A Rush Handicap at Kenilworth yesterday.
Richard Fourie made light of the colt’s poor draw but the favourite came under pressure unexpectedly early in the straight and, although he responded to begin with, he was a beaten horse fully a furlong from home.
Brett Crawford, rubbing his chin in puzzlement in the parade ring afterwards, said: “Richard told me that he didn’t travel well – they were always going a bit quick for him – but I don’t like making excuses so it’s back to the drawing board.”
But it wasn’t all gloom for the in-form trainer. Whisky Baron landed the odds in the Graduation Plate and two races later Quick Brown Fox made a packed-withpromise debut that had Greg Cheyne declaring: “She could be anything – and I’m not going to tell you how good I think she is!”
Joey Ramsden and the Mayfair Speculators team were given considerable encouragement for Table Bay’s Cape Classic assault on Saturday when Newlands kept on strongly to chase home Whisky Baron.
This was the Australian-bred’s first run since finishing third to Table Bay in the Langerman four months ago and Ramsden said: “He was probably about two weeks behind where I wanted him as it was a late decision to cut him – and it was impossible for him to win this. He got left too.”
Derek Brugman added: “This is a serious horse.
“It’s the Lanzerac Ready To Run next and then maybe the Grand Parade Cape Guineas and the Cape Derby.”
Whisky Baron, who has two close-up seconds to Marinaresco to his credit, had a theoretical eight lengths in hand.
Little wonder that he was almost unbackable at 3-10 but, to be fair, he did win quite comfortably.
However his trainer’s concern is that he needs to improve to contest the good races.
“He is only rated 99 whereas the top horses are 100-plus,” Crawford explained. “I am going to take it race by race with him and hopefully get him to a feature, maybe something like the Premiers Trophy.”