Expect an eruption if Takingthepeace wins
THRILLER: DE KOCK RUNNER COULD BE BECOME THIRD TRIPLE TIARA WINNER
First-time owners experience the thrill of feature-race victories.
While there are three Grade 1 races on Champions Day at Turffontein on Saturday much of the attention will be on the R1-million Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks over 2450m.
This Grade 2 race is the final leg of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara and Takingthepeace is in line to become only the third filly to pick up the R1-million bonus that goes with winning all of the Gauteng Fillies Guineas (Grade 2), the Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic and the Oaks (Grade 2). The other two were Igugu in 2011 and Cherry On The Top in 2013.
Mike de Kock-trained Igugu so he knows exactly what it takes to win the Triple Tiara but this time he actually has a share in the horse as well. The other owners are made up by a group of young guys for whom this is their first horse.
It has been an unbelievable ride for Murray Makepeace and Michael Shea, the son of former jockey Kevin Shea. Takingthepeace won on her second visit to the course, followed up with a second victory immediately and in her fourth start finished third behind Big Bear in the R2.5-million Ready To Run Cup over 1400m at Turffontein from a wide draw.
“Once she ran third in that race we knew she was above average,” said Shea. “Our goal from then on was to get her into the Guineas.”
Makepeace said that while she had run well in her build up to the Guineas, there was nothing in the formline that indicated she had a winning chance. “We were pretty nervous and her odds of 25-1 reflected how we saw the race. We had lots of friends and family at the course and the only thing we said to ourselves was ‘please don’t come last’.’’
What makes these guys special is their reaction after Takingthepeace has won a race. They literally go bananas!
They scream with delight, fall on the floor, hug one another, all the grooms and anybody else standing in their vicinity. “It was such a great thing that somebody caught it on camera,” said Shea. “The response was totally unrehearsed and unplanned.”
On Saturday the pair are going to have even more supporters coming to Turffontein. “It’s great for racing,” said Shea. “Let it just be a good race because every horse is capable of winning.
“Nobody is going to give an inch and we’re not asking for it. We just want a good race and to have a good party.”
Should Takingthepeace win on Saturday the reaction is sure to be explosive.
Final field for the R1-million Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks (Grade 2) (Third Leg of SA Triple Tiara) over 2450m
1 - 14 TAKINGTHEPEACE (M F de Kock) C Murray 60.0 - 104
2 - 6 GREEN TOP (A G Laird) M Yeni 60.0 - 103
3 - 4 SILVER THURSDAY (M F de Kock) A Marcus 60.0 - 103
4 - 5 SECRET POTION (G V Woodruff) G Wrogemann 60.0 102 5 - 3 FLICHITY BY FARR (A Wright) M V'Rensburg 60.0 - 99
6 - 8 CASHEL PALACE (A G Laird) R Simons 60.0 - 96
7 - 10 AURELIA COTTA (S G Tarry) C Zackey 60.0 - 93
8 - 15 PILGRIM'S PROGRESS (C D van Zyl) B Fayd'Herbe 60.0 - 91
9 - 16 AZKUR (C D van Zyl) K de Melo 60.0 - 90
10 - 1 MAR DEL SUR (C D van Zyl) G van Niekerk 60.0 - 88
11 - 12 CHARIOT OF GOLD (S G Tarry) L Hewitson 60.0 - 84
12 - 13 FOREST EXPRESS (S G Tarry) S Khumalo 60.0 - 83
13 - 17 GOTTALOTTALUV (S T Pettigrew) P Strydom 60.0 - 82
14 - 9 OUR SHINING STAR (S M Ferreira) C Maujean 60.0 - 82
15 - 2 PRETTY BALLERINA (O A Ferraris) R Fourie 60.0 - 77
16 - 18 AFRICAN DYNASTY (C D van Zyl) W Kennedy 60.0 - 76 Reserve Runners 17 - 11 SUNSHINE SILK (G V Woodruff) Reserve 1 60.0 - 76
18 - 7 EMPRESS ROCK (W H Marwing) Reserve 2 60.0 - 73
Same Trainer: (1,3) (2,6) (4,17) (7,11,12) (8,9,10,16)