Winning debut for Still I Rise
THREE months ago Still I Rise had a hole in her head as if she had been shot with a bolt from a humane killer, and it was a bolt that went perilously close to killing her.
“She rolled in her box, somehow spiked her head on the ring and the metal stuck in her skull,” said Joey Ramsden as Steph Grentell produced the evidence on her phone to prove it.
Yet, despite repeatedly swishing her tail in protest at Morne Winnaar’s whip, this AUS$ 80 000 (R825 000) Melbourne purchase showed a decisive turn of foot to make a winning debut in the Test Kitchen Maiden at Kenilworth on Saturday.
Siberian Husky
Siberian Husky in the Shirtliff colours, 4-1 winner of the Perpetua House Maiden with Greg Cheyne in the irons, also has a medical history.
“He has an urticaria – we thinks it’s an allergy from something in his box,” related Eric Sands, “So all this week I put him in a paddock day and night with a companion.”
The treatment worked but there were side-effects of bite marks on the gelding’s neck – the so-called companion decided to show the patient who was boss and further doubts set in when the horse worked badly last Thursday.
A treble has brought Justin Snaith’s total in 16 seasons to just two short of 2 300 winners but he was most unhappy about last term’s 175 – 40 less than Sean Tarry – and he has vowed to do much better this time.
“Last summer was the worst I have ever had and this season we are on a mission,” he declared.
“We always seem to do well early and now I want us to push on throughout the season.”
One Direction
Richard Fourie started the ball rolling with an enterprising no-nonsense ride on One Direction, Bernard Fayd’Herbe celebrated both his return and Chris Snaith’s 67th birthday on Greenflashsunset and Grant van Niekerk completed the stable’s treble by making all on Weston in the last.
Van Niekerk, who was also in treble form, is quietly building up a useful and potentially rewarding association with Snaith Racing and he also took full advantage to snatch the Carl Greaves Brokers Pinnacle on the Ramsden-trained Catkin when Icon King decided to treat the shadow from the stands as if it was the first fence in the Grand National.
But the Pinnacle proved most disappointing for favourite Silicone Valley.
He was odds-on only a few minutes before the off but he threw away a priceless advantage coming out of the pens and Piet Botha never looked happy on him after that.
“I needed to commit and go but I was caught three wide,” he said, reliving the frustration. “When I wanted to go the others quickened and when I wanted to ease back they slowed.”
Victorious Captain has been frustrating for Vaughan Marshall as well as punters but he made virtually all under Corne Orffer to score at the eighth attempt.”He should have won two races by this stage,” said the trainer. “But he has had problems with his shins – they are like those on American horses.”
Marshall’s day was made when the consistent, and clearly talented, Sequined broke her maiden in the St Dalfour Platewith Van Niekerk asking her to do the bare minimum out in front.
Elevated’s win in the mile handicap at Turffontein on his first start for Mike de Kock was greeted with delight by Riaan van Reenen for whom the gelding finished fourth in the Cape Guineas.
The Philippi trainer said: “Elevated left me after the Winter Classic but I am still involved in the planning and I am recommending that he goes to Dubai. He is very good in the sand.”