Just 0.01 tickets in nightmare Pick 6
THE Pick 6 was a nightmare at Fairview yesterday when R751,964 was not won.
The popular exotic bet started on the worst possible note for punters when 66-1 outsider Slip Stream Queen won the opening leg.
After that leg the potential payout was a huge R179 with only 4,232 tickets going through to the second leg.
King's Fire (22-10) was a popular choice but Slip Stream Queen, with Luyolo Mxothwa up, won comfortably from King’s Fire for the Des McLachlanDuncan McKenzie yard.
Slip Stream Queen, a three-year-old daughter of Miesque's Approval, opened in the betting at 50-1 before drifting to 66-1.
She paid R26 on the Tote for a Win and R11 a Place.
Although favourite Sail Intotheclouds (5-2) won the second leg, the remaining tickets fell to 804.86 and the potential dividend rocketed to R943.70.
In Race 5 disaster struck once more when 16-10 favourite, Kumiko, failed to live up to expectations. The daughter of Silvano was widely regarded as another banker in all exotics but ran out of steam with 200m to go.
Kumiko hit the 220m from the post but suddenly seemed to slow down and a few horses ran past her.
After her disappointing performance for the Alan Greeff yard, only 206.86 tickets remained. Victory went to well-backed 9-2 shot Strong Scent, ridden by Karl Zechner for trainer Dorrie Sham.
Hazel Jay, at 9-1, won Race 6, rubbing more salts into the wounds, and when 10-1 outsider Stormy Ridge won Race 7 only 1.14 tickets went through to the last leg, won by 35-1 outsider Falling Sky, who carried 0.01 of a ticket.
A five-year-old son of Tiger Ridge, Stormy Ridge (10-1) stormed through to win going away in the 1400m main race.
He had no support in the betting, opening at 6-1 and drifting to 10-1 shortly before the gates opened.
Kono began smartly, but was soon overtaken by Pacyano, followed by He's A Nadoo, Mercurial Brave and Mesmerize.
At the 500m mark Pacyano was still in front with Mercurial Brave third against the rails.
With 150m left Mercurial Brave got his head in front with Symbolik a big danger a few strides behind.
But Stormy Ridge came flying through in the middle of the track to score quite comfortably from Mecurial Brave, with Charles Ndlovu in the saddle for the Greeff yard. Kono finished third with favourite Symbolik fourth.
Stormy Ridge paid R11.30 on the Tote in recording his sixth career win from 37 outings for owners Brian Katzen, AJ Scheckter and AJ van Huyssteen.
Raymond Danielson and Renate du Plessis had two wins each.