Mozart is one for the Quartet

Bettors looking for a dark horse in the World Sports Betting presents the Gauteng Summer Cup should take a long and hard look at Majestic Mozart.

Despite having had 33 runs, he is a bit of an unknown factor. This six-year-old Dynasty gelding made his Highveld debut under the tutorship of Ashley Fortune just two weeks ago after 32 runs in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal for the stable of Candice Bass-Robinson.

And what a Highveld debut it was, as he beat Pack Leader by 5.25 lengths in a Pinnacle Stakes over 1600m on the Turffontein Standside track.

“He’s a really easy horse,” said Fortune, “not complicated and he takes whatever work we throw at him.

“Candice says he’s always had a bit of a personality, but it took him a little while to show us he is quite a comedian in the stable. He likes to play.

“He pretends that he’s big and bad and wants to bite you, but he actually just comes in for a kiss and a cuddle.

“He moves nicely, he’s sound, and I’m very happy with him.”

According to Fortune Majestic Mozart was sent up to the Highveld because he’s a class act who just didn’t seem to find his way at the coast.

“I believe the racing style in Joburg suits him. He’s got a lovely big action and he wants to use it. He doesn’t want to be held back.

“He has an obvious breathing problem and I think the more you restrain him, the harder it is for him to breathe.

“Calvin (Habib, who rode him to his first Highveld victory) let him have his head in his first run up here and didn’t make any issues for him, so it was quite lovely, and it worked out well.”

It is said that a change is as good as a holiday, and it seems exactly what Majestic Mozart needed.

“It seems to have done the trick for him. He really thinks he’s a twoyear-old.”

As for his chances in the big race: “Everybody goes to win, but realistically, I’m hoping for the first five. I’m not disappointed having him in the race. It’s already a victory in itself. If he can run in the first five, we’ll be over the moon.”

With no collateral form to compare him with other runners in the field, it remains a mystery what to expect come the big race. But with a merit rating of 110, he definitely deserves respect.