Mr Winsome stakes his claim
SUPPLEMENTARY entry for the Vodacom Durban July, Mr Winsome, duly landed the odds in the Gr3 Track & Ball Derby at Scottsville yesterday but made heavy weather of beating Sun On Africa.
The two drew well clear of the opposition over the final two furlongs but it was only inside the last 100m that Mr Winsome finally managed to get the better of Sun On Africa who had clearly had enough at the line.
The two met at level weights, the runner-up some 7.5kg inferior in the merit ratings, so Mr Winsome’s participation in the July is still very much up in the air.
The selection panel tasked to choose the July runners will deliberate tomorrow with the final field to be announced at a function at Greyville on Tuesday.
Witchcraft
Earlier July hopefuls Witchcraft and Girl On The Run saw their July tickets up in smoke with the latter only managing fourth and Girl On The Run second in the Gr3 Track & Ball Oaks.
The race developed into a dog-fight over the final furlong with the race eventually falling to the Geoff Woodruff-trained Zante who managed to pull clear late under Ian Sturgeon.
Zante last season landed the Listed Queen Palm Handicap for Neil Bruss who now plies his trade in the Middle East.
Girl On The Run was game in second but is unlikely to be considered by the July selection panel, the same going for Witchcraft who did well considering that this was only her second run back from a lengthy break, but not well enough.
Joey Ramsden and Anton Marcus landed a double for Mayfair Speculators with their two smart colts Ancestry and Table Bay.
Ancestry
Ancestry is a smart looking son of Oratorio and, although only shedding his maiden, the half-brother to Gr2 winning filly A Womens Way, romped home with plenty of daylight between him and second-placed Texas Sky.
Table Bay made the expected improvement from his pipe-opener in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint, to run out a comfortable winner of the Track & Ball Pinnacle Stakes from the Brett Crawford runner Winter Prince.
In France on Saturday, apprentice, Mpumelelo ‘Pumie’ Mjoka, won the Longines Future Racing Stars on the prestigious Prix de Diane card at Chantilly.
The Prix Longines Future Racing Stars is designed to showcase the best up and coming young riding talent from across the world and selects hand-picked participants from the world’s top racing schools.
The event is open to riders under the age of 25 who have won between 3 and 35 races.
Mjoka
Mjoka won the mile Handicap on Chantilly polytrack aboard Beaupreau.
Mjoka follows on the success of fellow SA Jockey Academy graduate Franklin Maleking who won the Longines Future Racing Stars in 2013. the