Domeyer’s tonic
SEEMINGLY Aldo Domeyer has news for the medical profession. He himself might have been prescribed physiotherapy, biokinetics and chiropractics but for a jockey nothing is a better tonic than winners.
After riding six on Saturday (for the second time this year) he couldn’t feel an ounce of pain in his troubled back - just elation and satisfaction, particularly given his belief that Dutch Philip and Magical Wonderland seem sure to add to his tally in future features.
Both the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery and the Kenilworth Fillies Nursery suffered from a well-nigh funereal pace – they were run over a second slower than the work riders’ maiden – but each time Domeyer’s mounts answered their rider’s every call.
“I was a little bit lacking in confidence with Dutch Philip because he hadn’t felt quite himself during the week and I don’t think he was at his best here,” he related.
“But he has so much class that he managed to pull it off and he is a horse who is going to continue to improve.
“When I won on Magical Wonderland last time I said she was a bit better than that and Saturday’s race proved that. She really impressed me and coming to the last two furlongs I had so much horse under me. What I like about her is that every time I ask her for something she has an answer.”
Plans for both What A Winter horses are fluid.
Candice Bass-Robinson, watching from Scottsville, said: “Dutch Philip could possibly run in the Langerman – he only got going at the end – but I haven’t decided. If he doesn’t he will have a break.
“I’m not sure that the filly will get further than sprint distances so she will probably have a rest. I won’t run her in the Irridescence.”
Midtown Manhattan
Five of the six Domeyer winners came in the last five races and by the end Midtown Manhattan was almost as inevitable as Churchill at The Curragh and was backed accordingly, from 6-1 to 22-10 favourite.
His rider duly gave a whole new meaning to the phrase service delivery. Platinum Prince won the 1 800m handicap like a horse on the up – he had also won his previous start – but the Snaiths intend to let him work his way through the handicap rather than step him up in class.
“There is an option to go for the Winter Derby which I think could have a small field and be a weak race,” said Jonathan Snaith.
“But to take a well-handicapped horse like this and stick him in at level weights wouldn’t make much sense.” Wildlife Safari, who drifted from 16-1 to 36-1, served up the shock of the day under Akshay Balloo in the 1 200m handicap.
The Eric Sands-trained gelding is part-owned by 37 Maine Chance grooms but sadly the transport of those coming to the course was late leaving and they had got no further than Kuils River by the time the race was run. They watched it on their cell phones.
It is not so long ago that Jason Smitsdorff was a highly sought-after apprentice with a good future in front of him but apparently most of those trainers who were so keen on him didn’t want to know when his claim was gone – and until Saturday he was heading for a winnerless season of little more than 50 rides. A work-riding opportunity at the Andre Nel winner factory – grabbed with both hands over two months ago -looks like putting the 24-year-old back on the right road as he showed when Hall Of Fame finished like a rocket to make a winning debut in the Racing Association Maiden.