Wright in top form
SUMMERVELD-based Alyson Wright (pictured below) hit a rich vein of form over the weekend, saddling a treble at Greyville on Friday night and adding another to her weekend haul with Special Encounter in the third at the same venue yesterday.
Also in business over the weekend were “The Roy’s” for prolific owner Roy Moodley whose “Roy’s” did him proud on Friday night with Roy’s Emblem opening the evening’s card at long odds for Wright and two races later, Roy’s Pony doing the double for the Wright – Moodley combination.
Apprentice Craig Bantam rounded off Moodley’s evening as Roy’s Dollar skated home by five lengths for Lezeanne Forbes two races later.
Celtic Captain, with plenty in his favour, converted favouritism with a minimum of fuss in the non blacktype umThombothi Handicap at Greyville yesterday for Gareth van Zyl and owner Brian Burnard.
Top weight Serissa set the pace with Warren Kennedy sitting mid-field on the favourite in a six-horse race.
Celtic Captain
Celtic Captain moved through with a solid challenge in the straight and quickly had the measure of the pacemaker with the filly Persian Rug rattling home from last to take second.
Wayne Badenhorst trains out of a small private establishment next door to Richmond-based trainer Doug Campbell and he saddled Spy Fiction to a fluent victory in yesterday’s opener.
All the money was for the blinkered Inyati and Moon Shadow but Brandon Lerena sent his mount the shortest way home and Spy Fiction responded to run them all down and win comfortably.
Danish Cross showed that her form on the poly was all wrong when running out an easy winner of the second for Duncan Howells and Keagan de Melo.
Always handy, she looked to be under pressure shortly after entering the straight but while she kept up a relentless gallop the balance of the field fell away and the odds-on favourite won rather comfortably.
The recent passing of Colin Scott was deeply mourned by the racing community and there was a poignant moment as Silver Sails, racing in the colours of his brother Rob, scored an emphatic victory in the fourth.
The Silvano gelding appears to be above average as this was his second win from just three starts and was well fancied in the market.
Anthony Delpech rode a supremely confident race having the gelding well back in the early exchanges and was last at the top of the straight.
But Silver Sails picked up the bit when asked and scythed through the opposition to win under hands-andheels. Apprentice Serino Moodley also had a weekend to remember, booting home a double on Friday and adding a third to his weekend tally in the fifth when leading all the way on the Therese Mitchley-trained Luna Sea who was recording her second successive win. A clever tactical ride by Delpech in the fillies handicap saw Strategic Move out of trouble and a clear run to win her first race on the turf for Sean Tarry, holding favourite Accidental Tourist at bay.
The latter had a troubled passage, only getting a clear run with the race all but over.