Sturgeon hooks treble
IAN Sturgeon was in fine form on Greyville’s polytrack on Friday night and rode an unlikely treble, two of them for Ashburton-based Des Egdes, while up and coming Summerveld-based trainer Lezeanne Forbes scored another double of her promising career and her husband Alec also rode a double.
The polytrack showed its value as the meeting was completed despite continual rain.
The first of Sturgeon’s winners, the Bruce le Roux-owned and bred Just As Well filly Just Rap, was allowed to open at odds of 50/1 despite having been green and staying on well on debut in a strong juvenile fillies maiden over 1200m at Scottsville behind the promising Tony Rivalland-trained Judpot filly Not A Word.
However, punters quickly snapped up that price upon viewing her striding out superbly going down to post and she started at 20/1.
The filly was once again green but showed a touch of class when quickening well at the top of the straight and holding on to beat Swan Dance by half-a-length with the perennial bridesmaid Masked Girl a short-head further back. Later Sturgeon scored on another Bruce le Roux-bred horse, the Egdes-trained Fort Beluga gelding Keep Your Light On, who ran on strongly to win a MR 66 handicap over 1200m by one-and-a-half lengths hav- ing been backed in from 10/1 to 11/2. Sturgeon's other winner was aboard the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained raider Princess Tantan, who won the last race over 1400m after being backed in from 12/1 to 8/1.
Lezeanne Forbes won the sixth race over 1400m with Mogokity, who was ridden by 4kg claimer Tristan Godden, and this was the Mogok filly' second win over course and distance since being purchased into the yard at the Mike Holmes Bloodstock Shongweni Horses in Training Sale in February.
Forbes followed up by winning the next race over the same course and distance with Mission Rapids, ridden by her husband Alec, and this was an amazing victory considering she had lost a few lengths at the start.
All seemed lost when Forbes was seen glancing angrily over his shoulder at the handler who had held on to the horse for a few moments after the starter had pressed the button.
However, this allowed the filly to use her big action early and she was soon sitting in the back seat travelling comfortably.
She scythed through the middle in the straight to win easily by 2,75 lengths and the key to her might now have inadvertently been found.
Alec had earlier scored on the Alistair Gordon-trained Triptronic, who looked a picture going down to the start of the 1200m maiden.
Like many Trippi's this gelding loved the poly and was at last able to bring his excellent home work to the racecourse.
Fairview starting woes
Friday’s racing was characterized by starting woes with the worst of them being in the R100,000 Founders Trophy over 1600m at Fairview.
The starter pressed the button while the fancied topweight Gogetthesherrif was still standing behind the stalls being readied for loading.
The starter had apparently been misled by a couple of the horse's hoods having been removed too early and jockeys shouting “let's go’’.
Two jockeys drawn next to Gogetthesherrif as well as a third jockey immediately began pulling their horses up expecting a false start to be called.
However, no false start was called so they had to be declared runners despite being tailed off at the finish.
The race was won by the favourite Symbolik, one of four winners on the day for trainer Dorrie Sham with three of them including this one being ridden by Karl Zechner.
However, an enquiry will be held into the action of the starter and the riding of the three jockeys.
At Greyville the outsider Oracle Kingdom was declared a non-runner in the fourth race as the handler was still holding him at the off, understandably, as the horse reared just as the starter pressed the button.
Later, Mission Rapids was also still being held by the handler at the off but went on to win the race.