Thunder Dance off to KZN
THUNDER DANCE is to be aimed at the Garden Province Stakes on Vodacom Durban July day following her victory under in the Grade 1 L Jaffee Empress Club Stakes over 1 600m at Turffontein on Friday evening.
Brett Crawford, who was recording his 11th Grade 1 win, said: “We weren’t going to take her to Durban but I think we will now. She will stay in Joburg a bit longer but, before it gets cold there, we will move her to the coast to campaign her for the Garden Province.”
What was surprising about the filly’s win was the way she managed to put her previous wind problems behind her. Crawford believes that the different training methods on the Highveld played a major part.
He explained: “She hadn’t actually gone in her wind and the problem was borderline. That’s why the decision was taken not to operate.
“However, I think that putting more mileage on her on the training tracks helped. Up in Joburg trainers work their horses over further than we do in Cape Town. We can’t work them over as far because our tracks are heavy.’’
Meanwhile trainer Dean Kannemeyer said his brilliant three-year-old Western Winter colt, Capetown Noir, had pulled up ``beautifully’’ from his win in the Grade 3 Byerley Turk at Scottsville on Saturday.
“He doesn’t look as if he’s had a race and came out of his box like a raging bull,” said Kannemeyer. “On Saturday he was green going around a right hand turn for the first time, so was lost for a while before he quickened.”
He said the experience would have been important, considering most of his probable targets are at the right-handed Greyville, including the Grade 2 KRA Guineas, the Grade Daily News 2000 and the Vodacom Durban July.
However, he reckoned he could well take Capetown Noir to have a look at Greyville before the KRA Guineas.
Kannemeyer said Taipan, who finished second last in a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1 600m at Scottsville on Saturday, had not been ready and had been outpaced over a race too short. He should come on from the outing.
He has Liancourt Rock in the Listed Sledgehammer at Scottsville before going for the Grade 2 Betting World 1900 on May 22. “I need to qualify him for the July as there is no mistake that he is July material, but if it turns out that he is not ready in time for the July, as he did have a long break, we won’t run him and I will aim at the Met instead.” –