Four of the best for Fourie
RICHARD Fourie, pictured, intends going for the championship if he is within striking distance of the leaders in the last few months of the season.
He rode a four-timer at Durbanville on Saturday to add to his double at the country course last Wednesday and said: “My target is 200 winners and the championship depends on the support I get. I am riding freelance – I am not retained by the Chrigor Stud (still his sponsor) this season – but, if I need to give it a little bit extra at the end, I will.”
Snaith Racing
With Grant van Niekerk on his way to Hong Kong, Fourie is much in demand from Snaith Racing which has supplied all his six winners so far and Chris Snaith remarked: “Richard is always worth a length or two.”
The most significant, and certainly the shortestpriced, of Saturday’s four was Frank Lloyd Wright who weakened from a prohibitive 1-5 to 1-3 for the TAB Telebet Maiden.
The Captain Al colt made most of the running in the distinctive Qatar Racing colours with his rider doing little more in the final furlong than twice looking back for what proved to be nonexistent dangers.
“He has a good future,” said Fourie. “He is a couple of lengths behind the best but he had the experience and he won like it. He gave me a good feel.”
But punters and racegoers alike are apparently going to have to wait a bit.
“We have raced him a little more than we would have liked so we will now ease up on him and put him away for the Cape summer season,” said Jonathan Snaith.
“He is a class horse and hopefully the best is still to come.
“He is possibly a Guineas horse and he qualifies for the R5 million CTS Mile. But his performance here tells you how impressive the Langerman winner One World was.
“He gave us a galloping lesson and I think he is definitely the Guineas favourite at the moment.”
The Vaughan Marshall colt gave Frank Lloyd Wright 4kg in the Langerman and beat him by more than five lengths.
Black Indy
On the other hand Black Indy, beaten seven and a half lengths into fourth, did little for the form when managing only three lengths-plus third to More Magic in the Tabonline.co.za Maiden 40 minutes later.
What is more the Candice Bass-Robinson winner had had five previous attempts, admittedly from a series of wide draws. The colt was ridden by Stuart Randolph who flew in to substitute for the sidelined Aldo Domeyer and recalled that on his only previous visit in the last five years racing had been washed out.
Liam Tarentaal, 20, signalled his arrival in Cape Town by springing a 50-1 shock on the Eric Sands newcomer Bellingham Bay in the first.
The 2.5kg claimer has moved from Durban, had four rides here last Wednesday and this was the 21st success of his career.
Parisian Gold
Greg Ennion proved, not for the first time, that winners can still be bought cheaply when the Donovan Dillon-ridden Parisian Gold got up inside the last 100m of the 2 400m maiden.
“I bought him with the only bid of ten grand at the Ready To Run,” Ennion related. “He was a huge backward horse and his sire Biarritz was not fashionable but I liked him.
“He has taken for ever to come to hand but I think he will now go on from this and I have turned down an offer of R130 000 for him.”