They stand 26th in the national trainers log yet have an excellent strike rate of 21 winners from 86 runners
David Mollett (Business Day)
The father and son team of Mike and Adam Azzie mean business in Saturday’s grade 1 Cape Flying Championship at Kenilworth. They have trucked down four of their sprinters to try to win this prestigious race for the second year running.
The quartet are Master Archie, Barholdi, Supreme Warrior and Bohica. The first-named — formerly trained by Paul Peter — won the Computaform Sprint in April and looks generously priced at 10-1.
The Azzie numbers are clearly not the same as previous years as the stable is in 26th place in the national trainers log. Yet they have an excellent strike rate of 21 winners from 86 runners.
Some top jockeys have been engaged for the Azzie quartet — Richard Fourie will be on Bartholdi, Bernard Fayd’Herbe on Supreme Warrior, S’manga Khumalo on Bohica, and Diego De Gouveia for Master Archie.
Bohica won this race last year and it is surely a pointer to his chance that Khumalo will once again partner the son of Capetown Noir. The bookies feel a repeat win is unlikely and quote the six-year-old at 25-1.
Bohica hadn’t run since September when he reappeared at the Vaal last month and finished four lengths behind Big Burn and two lengths behind stablemate Bartholdi. Khumalo’s mount is 2kg better off with Bartholdi on Saturday and appeals as a good place bet at around 3-1.
While Princess Calla deserves her position as favourite, there are two other runners who make plenty of appeal — Alesian Chief (Muzi Yeni) and Isivunguvungu (Christophe Soumillon).
Corrie Lensley would love to bag the R742,188 first cheque and his five-time winner, Alesian Chief, finished in front of both Bartholdi and Bohica at the Vaal in December.
A runner this column feels may be the horse to beat is Peter Muscutt’s four-year-old Isivunguvungu.
