David Thiselton
THE Frank Robinson-trained Dynasty filly Olma deservedly earned bold black type for the first time when comfortably winning the Gr 3 Flamboyant Stakes over 1 600m on the Greyville turf on New Year’s Night under a faultless ride by Ian Sturgeon.
Robinson’s contention that he had overestimated the four-year-old’s ability to stay was proven correct.
She raced hard on the steel after Sturgeon had expertly placed her in the box seat in the eleven-horse field behind Cassey O’Malley, who sat in second place in the running and wasn’t interested in chasing the good pace set by Lertasha.
There might have been one or two anxious moments in the stands when Lertasha skipped about three lengths clear as they entered the straight.
However, the punters who had backed Olma in from 7/2 to 16/10 were breathing easily seconds later as she showed a blistering turn of foot and made up the deficit in a matter of strides before opening up a three length lead and showing no signs of stopping.
It was race over by the 200m mark and it was left to the Doug Campbelltrained Lala to run on strongly for a two length second and then there was a 2,75 length gap back to Cassie O’Malley who just touched off Brown Sugar and Lertasha for third. Olma’s market rival In Other Words was dropped out from a wide draw and was just too far out of her ground as she ran on well but could only manage sixth place. The disappointment was the third favourite Sabaha, who seems to be a temperamental sort and to date hasn’t lived up to her early promise.
Robinson had always believed Olma would come into her own as a fouryear-old being a light-framed filly. He secured her for R450,000 at the National Yearling Sales and, despite it being revealed that she had cysts on her stifle at the time, he said she had turned out to be one of his soundest horses in training.
She is owned by Russians Ruslan and Aslan Bifov and was bred by Vaughan Koster’s Cheveley Stud.
Robinson said he would likely give Olma a break now, but she will be a filly to be reckoned with in the Champions Season.
Later in the meeting the Tony Rivalland-trained New Zealand-bred three-year-old Rip Van Winkle filly Killer Woman proved herself one to be reckoned with too when slamming a decent bunch of males, all bar one of whom were older horses, in a sixhorse field Graduation Plate over 1 800m after showing a superb turn of foot. The win completed a double on the night for Delpech. The three-yearold fillies crop appears to lack depth countrywide this season, so Killer Woman could be a contender for a race like the Gr1 Woolavington 2000.
The Michael Roberts-trained three- year-old Ashaawes filly Durban Blues did well against some of the best fillies of her age in KZN last season and got off the mark on Friday night in her sixth career start in a 1 600m fillies and mares maiden under Brandon Lerena. The win gave the Roberts yard a double on the night, ending a lean spell, and it was the first leg of a treble for Lerena. Durban Blues looks to have the scope to go on and win more races.
Kenilworth
At Kenilworth yesterday the Listed Sophomore Sprint over 1 200m provided a good preparation or qualifying race for a number of CTS Million Dollar contenders and it was the Mike Bass trained Elusive Fort gelding Ernie who pulled clear late in the race to win under Grant Van Niekerk and ensure his place in the lucrative 1 400m event's final field.
Illuminator was a borderline case for qualifying according to the last Million Dollar log so gave his connections hope by finishing second. The dual Gr 1winner Seventh Plain had to concede lumps of weight to the whole field and ran a fair third, although his backers would have been disappointed as he started hot favourite. Psycho Syd was the only runner who doesn't qualify for the CTS Million Dollar and finished fourth, while borderline cases Forward Drive and Western Prince did their chances of getting in the field no favors by finishing well beaten as did the hopeful Astrapi. Tar Heel looks to have qualified for the race already as he was high up on the last log but yesterday’s race will add to the doubts over his stamina as he was well beaten in fifth place after being prominent early.
Turffontein
In Johannesburg yesterday Grant Maroun pulled off a fine training feat when the six-year-old Mullins Bay