Khan and Warfarer take full toll
PACE, or the lack of it, is most often the deciding denominator when it comes to races over ground and Warfarer and Mark Khan took full toll of a sedate early pace in the Michaelmas Handicap (Listed) at Greyville yesterday, the Lezeanne Forbes-trained gelding getting home a length clear of the opposition with two short-heads separating the next three home.
With front-running Run Rhino Run a scratching, there was always doubt about the pace and so it proved as Celtic Captain was a reluctant leader from New Fort.
The cheek pieces did not appear to have any noticeable effect on favourite American Landing who was one-paced throughout and tracked by Roy Had Enough.
Marcus
By the time Anton Marcus realised that he was following the wrong horse, it was too late as Khan had skipped clear on Warfarer who was the one runner that was over his ideal trip.
Sabina’s Dynasty finished her race off strongly but just failed to catch Roy Had Enough while the three-year-old Marchingontogether, was a creditable fourth given that he was way out at the weights.
Can You Feel It, bred and owned by Michael Leaf, was the biggest certainty to look through a bridal and she didn’t let her supporters down. Gareth van Zyl’s filly was probably the highest rated maiden in the country before yesterday and Warren Kennedy took no prisoners.
He bounced his mount to the front from the break and once in the straight let her run along in his hands.
Can You Feel It was easily 10 lengths clear before being geared down to win by five at the prohibitive odds of 1-8.
Wendy Whitehead scored a back-to-back double with Hard To Play showing a tremendous turn of foot to land the Pinnacles Stakes and Rocking Ruby finishing too strongly for the opposition in the next.
The luckless Dawn Calling picked up the lead some 300m out with the balance of the field off the bit, all except Hard To Play.
Once Stuart Randolph released the brake, Hard To Play sailed past the filly as if he had jumped in at the furlong pole.
Randolph and Whitehead teamed up again in the next with Rocking Ruby getting the better of Victory Trip with Shwanky driving home from last in the straight to snatch third.
Backing first timers against seasoned opposition is always risky. Experience counts for much, be it man or beast, and the cash went out the window in the card opener as the heavily backed first timer Coldhardcash raced all at sea.
In a race laced with speed it was always going to be difficult and with a strong tailwind to help them home the filly Miss J and the visiting Pearl Of Siberia kept at it up the straight with Miss J getting her nose in front where is mattered.
Coldhardcash
Coldhardcash will live to fight another day and judged on this effort, a mile may be more should be within his compass.
The sixth race field was reduced to just five runners after a false start. Good Emperor reared up just as the gates were released and the starter called a false start.
However, Noble Duke, That’s Life and Seventh Sun galloped the course in spite of their rider’s efforts to restrain them and Good Emperor was found to have injured himself in the gate and was also taken out.
After the re-start, Warren Kennedy set Royalsecuritypower alight from the jump and kept Kom Naidoo’s gelding running all the way to the line in spite of the best efforts from his rivals.
The remarkable eight-year-old took his winning tally to nine from 68 starts.
Paul Gadsby opened and closed the meeting with Arrow’s Mark getting home under a smart ride from apprentice Luke Ferraris who scored his 28th winner of this season, surpassing the 26 he notched last season. GLEN KOTZEN has split with rising star Ryan Munger little more than two months after appointing him first jockey. Seemingly the rider’s championship ambitions have proved incompatible with the trainer’s need for somebody to work closely with the stable’s horses.
Kotzen said on Saturday: “It’s a great shame because Ryan is a very talented rider but when he took the job he promised me his full commitment and he hasn’t given that. He wants to chase the money all the time.
“I said to him that he had to stop riding at Kimberley on Mondays because he was not back in time to ride work on the Tuesday which is an important day for my horses.”
Munger, who won Saturday’s R250 000 WSB Grand Series Consolation on Big Mistake for Ashley Fortune as well as the R500 000 Grand Series Leg 2 on stable companion Tsitsikamma Dance, was unavailable for comment yesterday. However, in an interview in this column on 5 September, he spoke of his intention to keep riding in as many centres as possible and specifically mentioned his prolific-winner link with Stephanie Miller in Kimberley.
Kotzen does not intend appointing a replacement and said: “We are going to go freelance. All the top jocks in Cape Town are coming out to the farm to ride work now that they know there is an opening.”
African Horse Sickness
The confirmation of a case of African Horse Sickness in Port Elizabeth has thrown into disarray the plans of several Cape Town trainers to run horses at this weekend’s big two-day Algoa Cup meeting at Fairview.
Candice Bass-Robinson has already decided to run last year’s Algoa Cup second Ollivander at Durbanville tomorrow instead and Dan Katz is on the point of abandoning his long-planned raid on the race with Mac De Lago.
Katz said: “I haven’t finally decided but I don’t think I am going. Your horse could be there for 40 days and, if some other horse gets it in the meantime, you could be stuck there for up to another 40.”
Cape Town trainers have won seven of the last eight Algoa Cups and Justin Snaith, who surprisingly has yet to win it, has been targeting the R350 000 Listed race with Magnificent Seven and Master’s Eye.
He said: “We are now not sure whether we are going. If you put horses into quarantine after the race they only have stay a fortnight but the quarantine is not in PE. It’s in George and in the middle of nowhere, and there is a big bill to pay. Really, you have to win the race to make it worthwhile.
“And it’s not just the quarantine. There is a lot of unrest in the Eastern Cape at the moment and the safety of my staff and my horses is a concern.”
Rainbow Bridge
The unbeaten Rainbow Bridge was found to have a snotty nose after his devastating Matchem Stakes win. Eric Sands reports that the four-year-old is fine again now and on course for the WSB Green Point on 8 December. “There is nothing else for him until then,” says the Milnerton trainer who is unhappy about the restricted nature of the programme. “They seem to want to put all the big races on the same day, either with the Queen’s Plate or on Met day. I think it’s wrong.”
Even the two Cape Guineas races are on the same 15 December card this time. South Africa seems to be following the European example - most noticeable in England and Ireland - where it has been introduced to counter falling attendances. It works on the chosen days but the jury is still out on whether there is any overall benefit.
Candice Bass-Robinson accounts for a third of the field in Saturday’s 15-strong Western Cape Fillies Championship including three of her stars – Clouds Unfold, Santa Clara and Nous Voila – but notable by her absence is the Perfect Promise winner Lesedi La Rona. “She pulled a muscle in her flank when she ran in the Diana,” explains her trainer.
Front And Centre
Front And Centre, the mount of Anton Marcus, has been installed 5-2 favourite with World Sports Betting which makes Mike de Kock’s Firdoas next best at 3-1 with Clouds Unfold (7-1) the only other in single figures. The unbeaten Pleasedtomeetyou is 3-1 favourite for the Cape Classic.
Morne Winnaar, Aldo Domeyer, Brett Crawford and Candice Bass-Robinson all warmed up for Saturday’s return to Kenilworth, and the start of the Cape season, with doubles at Durbanville but the laid-back award of the day went to Joey Ramsden.
After Donovan Dillon scored on Paddington, Ramsden had this to say: “I realised the horse hadn’t had a holiday for about 18 months so I threw him out (to Monique Schabort at the Paarl Diamant Estate).
“I forgot he was there and I only brought him back two weeks ago. Now it’s another holiday for him and another for me – I have been working far too hard!”