Mr Winsome gets it right
THE Listed Michael Roberts Handicap over 1 750m at Scottsville yesterday fittingly saw a top ride by Anthony Delpech aboard the Dean Kannemeyer-trained gelding Mr Winsome.
Mr Winsome usually starts slowly, but Delpech wasn’t concerned, especially as he found himself sitting behind Anton Marcus’s mount Stormy Eclipse.
The horse showed a fine turn of foot in the straight and made up a lot of ground to convert 2-1 favouritism, getting up to beat 18-1 shot Open Heir. Run Rhino Run was third with Caribbean Day, who was 2kg under sufferance, next best and Stormy Eclipse fifth.
Gr 3 Christmas Handicap winner Rikitikitana could only manage sixth.
Mr Winsome is yet another son of Silvano who is coming into his own as a four-year-old. He has also benefited from the layoff he was given during last year’s SA Champions Season, which allowed him to overcome a few issues.
This was Delpech’s third meeting on his return from a broken collarbone and he has already had four winners in just ten rides.
Autumn Breeze
In the first race yesterday, a Juvenile Maiden over 1 000m, the Paddy Lunn-trained Sail From Seattle first-timer gelding Autumn Breeze won by 0,25 lengths under Athandiwe Mgudlwa from first-timer Calladdi, who was backed in to 7-20.
The second over 1 000m was won by the Tony Rivallandtrained Tiger Ridge gelding La Ferrari under Anton Marcus. The horse is so named because all of his owners drive Ferrari’s and built on his good debut, even though the latter was over three months ago.
The third race over 1 200m saw the favourite Danish Cross having to be scratched due to an incident at the start.
The Paul Gadsby-trained Rebel King filly Sarabi, having just her second start, remained calm as the horses waited to be reloaded and won comfortably under Lyle Hewitson. Fortunately, the new favourite Fashion Quest came second to help exotic punters.
The fourth over 1 200m saw a good win for the big Mark Dixon-trained filly Spiritofadventure, a homebred of Avison and Mary Carlisle’s who was ridden by Marco van Rensburg.
In the fifth over 1 200m the course record holder Humidor proved in need of the run and faded late.
Panza
The Chris Erasmus-trained Yellow Star Stud-homebred Panza, a five-year-old Right Approach gelding, just prevailed from the gallant Albert with Roy’s Airforce flying for third.
The small Dennis Driertrained Toreador filly Plume del Toro showed the size of her heart to win the next over 1 000m under Sean Veale.
Sabre Charge
The staying race saw the Duncan Howells-trained Golden Sword gelding Sabre Charge repeating his maiden win over this 2 400m trip with Keagan de Melo up again.
Howells and De Melo made it a double by winning the last, a fillies 1 600m maiden, with Mambo In Seattle filly Pippin.