Howells can do it in style
UNCAN Howells (pictured) had reason to be in good heart at his Ashburton stables on Monday morning. KZN's champion trainer elect was still basking in the afterglow glow of Same Jurisdictions Gr1 victory in the Thekwini Stakes run at Greyville on Saturday and the pressure of keeping his nose in front in the championship race had been released.
Saturday’s Thekwini Stakes was the epitome of what makes horse racing such a great sport. Two skilful jockeys and two horses locked in a titanic battle for the wire. A fitting result on Saturday would have been a dead-heat but for the owners of Same Jurisdiction it was the adrenaline high that fuels all racing addicts.
With today’s Scottsville meeting the last of the season Howells is currently
Dsix winners ahead of chasing rival and perennial champion Mike de Kock and with De Kock only saddling two runners, the championship is in the bag. Super Saturday also heralded the end of Champions Season and its back to bread and butter racing tomorrow. However, in anticipation of a last-day battle to the wire Howells nominated everything that was fit and sound and all his runners need to be treated with respect.
Reigning Wind
One of these is the filly Reigning Wind in the sixth but Sean Tarry could extract some measure of compensation for Carry On Alice’s defeat by Same Jurisdiction on Saturday as he saddles the promising two-year-old Kapitan.
The son of Captain Al turns three the day after but has shown enough in his three starts that he could be a Classic contender. He has a pedigree that suggests that a ‘mile’ and further would be more to his liking but was stepped out in open company for his maiden and put the opposition away like a bad ball from Imran Tahir.
Reigning Wind is lightly raced but was off for over a year after making her debut. Since then she has been very consistent in four subsequent outings and goes well over the trip. Whether she has the class to match Kapitan is debateable but the balance of the field are there for the taking with the possible exceptions of The Queen and King’s Jet, if he can find his best form.
In the opening exchanges, Howells runs the Elusive Fort half-sister to Via Africa in the form of Al Wahed. He was backed at long odds that day but raced very green and is sure to improve on that effort. Dennis Drier saddles Generalissimo for father and son combination of Nick and Benjie Jonsson. A beaten favourite on debut he looks best placed to spoil the Howells party although there are a number of well-bred first timers in the line-up.
Aquila Jet
Neil Bruss brought a small raiding string up from the Cape for the winter spearheaded by Red Flame and had some success. And he can further pay his way with Aquila Jet in the second as she looks the one to beat.
The third looks a touch more tricky. The Howells stable inmate Entrée is likely to improve on his debut effort as should Tarry’s Heptagon. Ice Cool was disappointing second time out after making an eye-catching debut here and the step up in trip could suit.
Mackdesi is the likely favourite jumping from a plum draw and also proven over the trip. Add to that list Melson who has done very little wrong in three starts since his debut effort and the race has a tough look about it.