Good news for the Dixon yard
SUMMERVELD-BASED Mark Dixon was pulling out his diminishing thatch as he battled through a virus that resulted in elevated liver enzymes, but his patience has paid off in recent weeks as the stable has come well. Dixon saddled a double at Scottsville yesterday, one expected, the other not so.
Expected was News Stream in the second.
Not the easiest to handle, giving his rider a difficult time on debut, but there were no such issues yesterday as Keagan de Melo got her home ahead of the well fancied Cosmic Cutter with the balance of the field out with the washing.
The two shook off all opposition with a furlong to run, but News Stream, bred and owned by SA Jockey Academy Chairman Avison Carlisle and his wife Mary at their Kinmount Stud in the KZN Midlands, finished just the stronger to get home by a neck.
The two Dixon-trained fillies Diamante and She’s A Dream fought out the finish of the fourth, Diamante paying R52 a win on the tote with the exacta paying a healthy R450.
Both fillies had been in the doldrums recently, especially She’s A Dream who looked to be going places early in her career.
“She just lost her way,” said Dixon on She’s A Dream who is on the Shongeweni Mixed Sale at the end of the month. On this showing she may not be up for auction any longer.
The meeting kicked off with a smart showing by the Paul Lafferty-trained Aussie import Share Holder.
Share Holder
After a promising barrier trial, he was well supported in the market and duly arrived.
“He’s a very nice horse,” said Lafferty. Lafferty had some difficulty putting together owners for the colt as the many bloodstock agents said “he didn’t walk too well.”
Well if he doesn’t walk to well, he certainly gallops well as he showed yesterday.
Maa Nonu, named after the classy All Black midfielder, lived up to his name as he came with a telling run for Lezeanne Forbes.
Mark Khan time his run to perfection as he out-duelled the blinkered Mana Santana.
The outside of the Scottsville straight track is often labelled a ‘minefield’. However, so few runners take that route that it’s a perception that will linger until jockeys and trainers decide that it’s not necessary a ‘roadblock’.
Apprentice Jason Gates ignored all, sticking to the outside rail on the Brett Crawford-trained Hashtagthemost, to cause another boil-over in the exotics. Spring Breeze was the ‘money’ horse but after looking dangerous a furlong out, she kept on one-paced for third as rank outsider Sheik’s Storm ran her out of second.
Louis Goosen held a strong hand in the Pinnacle Stakes and a trainer in form coupled with a jockey in form, made no mistakes.
Anton Marcus kept the favourite just off the pace as stable companion Effortless Reward set a good pace, before pouncing when it mattered.
Vision To Kill
Vision To Kill, who did not enjoy the best of the Cape Summer, found some of her best form to pressure Captain’s Gal, but it was a little too late.
The two teamed up again in the seventh with Marcus having to work a lot harder on the favourite.
Asked about the early pedestrian pace Goosen replied, “when you have got Anton on you don’t have to worry.”
Siberian Husky, after a local warm-up on the poly, ran out a convincing winner of the last to give Brett Crawford a double, running on strongly to beat the Lafferty pair of White Lightning and top weight Our Coys with pacemaker Jet Stream staying on for the shallow end of the purse.