Game on for Tristful
SOME top horses have raced in the colours of Mary Liley, one the springs to mind being Queen’s Plate and Champion Stakes winner Bold Monarch back in 1979. She has had some good horses since but none as good, until maybe yesterday.
The lightly raced gelding Tristful gave notice that he will be a horse to be reckoned with over the last few months of the season but as Tony Rivalland, caution, “the pressure’s on now,” after the gelding scored an eye-catching win in the Gr3 Byerley Turk at Greyville yesterday. Sean Veale rode a faultless race as he tracked a slow early pace set by Solid Gold, but when he asked for an effort, Tristful responded with a smart turn of foot. “You haven’t seen the best of him yet,” said Veale. “Wait until he goes 2000m, that’s his game.”
Given those words, Tristful will probably go the traditional route for three-yearold males, the KZN Guineas, Daily News 2000, and all going well, a possible tilt at the Vodacom Durban July.
The July is still 88 days away and a lot can happen in the interim, but Liley and
SLEEPING SINGLE, sold twice before she had even seen a racecourse, could yet live up to early expectations. Despite being six months wrong with the opposition, she ran out a convincing winner of the Betting World Maiden at Durbanville on Saturday and Snaith Racing is talking of putting her away for the big prizes of next season. Jono Snaith said: “She is a classic-type and she could be in the Paddock Stakes next year.” Bred in Britain by the Nagles, she is by dual Derby winner Australia out of a halfsister to an American Grade 1 scorer and was bought for Markus Jooste for €220 000 (now nearly R3.5 million) at the 2017 Goffs Orby Sale. When she came up again at last July’s Central Route Trading Sale she was purchased for R1.8 million for Nic Johnsson and Jack Mitchell. Anton Marcus’s response to an SOS to replace the sidelined Rivalland got proof yesterday that they are in with a shout at least.
Temple Grafin, winless since The Debutante at the end of last season, opened her seasonal account in the Gr3 Umzimkulu Stakes under another tremendous ride from Anton Marcus. Inching his way into a challenging position from his outside draw, Marcus had Temple Grafin within striking distance coming off the false rail and the filly came forward gallantly to outgun Santa Clara and Silvano’s Pride.
Ennion
Fourie
Richard Fourie had no hesitation taking favourite Silvano’s Pride to the lead and she set a strong pace, tracked by Santa Clara who had the run of the race. These two hooked up at the top of the straight with Santa Clara slowly wearing down her rival, but neither had an answer to the late challenge from Temple Grafin, Glen Kotzen’s filly getting up close home. Champion jockey Lyle Hewitson is making a bold attempt in defence of his title and took the lead ahead of Muzi Yeni and Anton Marcus for the first time this season with a double at Fairview on Friday. He added to his lead by winning the first Greg Cheyne on five rides may not have resulted in any immediate winners but Rigemont’s Pretty Young Thing looks good for next time.
The 13-1 chance made up ground hand over fist in the straight in the Play Soccer 6 Maiden Juvenile and only failed to overhaul all-the-way winner Hidden Strings by a rapidly-disappearing head. “Thank heavens I’ve got cat gut for my heart,” joked Greg Ennion who had bought the winner for a mere R50 000 at last year’s TBA Mistico Sale and told a complicated story about not knowing who the breeder (W.J. Engelbrecht) was only to later sell a share in the filly to Engelbrecht’s son. The latter recouped his costs in a bet while the pair’s fortunes were further boosted by a R50 000 Bloodstock SA juvenile winner cheque.
The first two winners similarly benefitted (owner R39 500, trainer R5 000, breeder R5 000 on Elnora for Wayne Badenhorst but not before having to survive an objection. In the lead, Hewitson pulled his stick through to his right and Elnora took exception, shifting sharply onto the wellfancied Rose Dance.
Sean Veale objected on the grounds of interference in the latter stages, but although he was well within his rights, the stipendiary board ruled that Rose Dancer would not have got past the winner and the result stood.
Ishnana
Ishnana, bred and owned by Robert Smith, finally snapped a string of second places with a superb victory in the fourth where he took on a really smart field. Drawn wide, apprentice Luke Ferraris was hard pressed to get the gelding to settle early on, but once in behind runners he dropped the bit nicely as Calvary set off at a blistering gallop.
Not for nothing was Garth Puller nicknamed “The Headwaiter” when he was a jockey, often pouncing late when all looked lost, and he would have been proud of Ferraris. Last into the straight, he shot through a big gap and Ishnana pulled him through to win smartly. and groom R500) and for JP Cuvelier, owner of the Robert Khathi-ridden Captain Tatters in the first, it doubtless helped with the expenses as he was hosting his daughter’s wedding in Hong Kong. Apparently proceedings were interrupted so that they could all watch the race on TV and the result was greeted with a huge cheer.
Brett Crawford’s applause was rather more muffled despite two winners but newcomer Armando, the first leg of a Corne Orffer treble, was the stable’s second juvenile scorer of the season from just four individual runners. He also qualified for the R50 000 bonus and was backed from 6-1 to 19-10 favourite. The recently gelded Retro Effect showed the benefit of the operation to spearhead a Woodruff one-two in the Tellytrack.com Maiden while Lucky Dancer benefitted from a step-up in trip to give part owner Gisela Burg “the biggest surprise we have had in a very long time.”
Singfonico
Handicap good thing Singfonico – 9.5kg better-in than his rating – duly made all at 13-10 in the Interbet.co.za Handicap but what was interesting was Anthony Andrews’ views on the difference between riding a front-runner in a sprint at Durbanville and one at Kenilworth.
He said: “At Durbanville they like to ride in single file, or one off the rails, and if you are in front they will leave you alone (until well into the straight) so you can hold your horse up and then let him go. But at Kenilworth they spread out and you can be having to fight them off from the 800m mark.”