Yearham lends a helping hand to racing
In what has already been a turbulent year for racing, Peermont Emperors Palace COO Bob Yearham has again given the sport a fillip with the stake for the ReadyTo-Run Cup at Turffontein on November 2 increased to R1m.
It is great news for owners who bought at the 2018 Ready-to-Run Sale and an incentive to get involved in the sale on November 3.
Yearham, who began his gaming career with Ladbrokes in the UK in 1979 and joined Peermont in 1997, has never flinched in coupling the name of Emperors Palace with top races. A casino backing horse racing might confuse some people, but Yearham is awake to the fact that many big racing punters are also major players at casinos.
Yearham — who coowns Mount Laurel, who runs in Saturday’s eighth race at Turffontein — said of the prize-money increase, “I have become very familiar with the benefits of the Ready-ToRun concept in our wellestablished association with the auction and the associated race.”
The race is now on for a place in the final field for the Cup in the first week of November and the latest log is headed by Sean Tarry’s three-year-old Spirit Of The Groove with Roy Magner’s filly Seemyvision in second place.
Magner runs the daughter of Visionaire in Saturday’s seventh race at Turffontein, but the Randjesfontein trainer will be aware his runner faces a tough task with 62kg on her back. She is 7kg out at weight-for-age with Tarry’s four-yearold Three Stars.
With the Paul Peter stable on the crest of a wave, their representative, Cattitude, is likely to be sent off favourite. The filly opened her account in August and will receive 6kg from Seemyvision on Saturday.
Trainer Ashley Fortune also sends out a fancied runner in Before The Dawn, and the daughter of Oratorio is chasing a hat-trick after two wins at the Vaal.
Another inmate of the Fortune stable, Black Ferrari, looks to have a good chance of making a winning handicap debut in the eighth race.
She won her maiden at the city track at the beginning of September and Muzi Yeni retains the ride.