Khan brings it home
FIVE-TIMES SA champion jockey Mark Khan was in devastating form on the Greyville poly yesterday and brought home four winners on the trot early in the eight race meeting. Khan’s first winner was aboard the Duncan Howells-trained Mr Greenlight, who was officially 6kg under sufferance with the filly Twice As Smart according to official merit ratings in the Graduation Plate event over 1 600m.
However, he has not yet had the chance to prove himself like the latter has and showed yesterday he will be a force to be reckoned with when he is given those opportunities.
Khan had him handy on the flank of the leader and in the straight he simply drew away as he pleased to obliterate them by 2,8 lengths.
He started at odds of 11-2 but won like an odds on shot and won’t be let loose by the bookmakers again.
Howells will send him down for
the US$500,000 CTS 1600, presuming this impressive win will see the final field selection panelists giving him the nod. Khan rode an enterprising race from the front in the next race over 1600m on the Lezeanne Forbes-trained Ato filly Easy Ginger to win by 4,10 lengths.
The favourite Roy’s Novice proved in need of the run as the Wright yard had stated beforehand.
Special Force
In the second leg of the Pick 6 over 1200m Khan did exceptionally well to win comfortably on the Forbes-trained Special Force as this Crusade gelding was barged off course in the early stages.
Khan made it a four in the next over 1200m on the enigmatic Kumaran Naidootrained Roy’s Magic as this Foxwedge Australian-bred gelding needs things to go his way before producing his good turn of foot and Khan ensured he was covered up and relaxed throughout.
The meeting began with an easy win for Marzipan Path in his first run for the Nathan Kotzen yard. Anton Marcus converted 11-10 odds which proved generous as this Eightfold Path filly has plenty of substance and won by 2,7 lengths without being hard pressed.
The sixth race over 1200m looked the most open on the card and the Sean Tarrytrained Seventh Rock filly In Full Bloom held on from a handy position under Luke Ferraris to convert 9-1 odds.
Dance Off
In the seventh the in form Andre Nel and Gareth Wright combination had another winner when the Black Minnaloushe gelding Dance Off came from off the pace to catch the favourite High Green close to home.
In the last race over 1900m the favourite Moschino went out like a light when asked for extra in the straight but luckily for Pick 6 punters the market rival Paybackthemoney, a long-striding Marchfield gelding, swooped to win comfortably under Donavan Dillon to give Nathan Kotzen a double.