Flying Finley (Oratorio) beat his Turf Talk Syndicate-owned stablemate Heritage Ridge by three lengths at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth today to give the Paul Reeves yard an exacta. (Picture: Wayne Marks).
Graeme Hawkins (Gold Circle)
Peter Muscutt and Richard Fourie teamed up with Jordash to win the opening race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Tuesday, a Maiden Juvenile Plate (Fillies) over 1200m. The 2yo daughter of Soqrat found ante-post support during the week but was relatively friendless as race time approached and was allowed to drift to 6/1 in the face of strong demand for Whatastar. Paralegal made the early running ahead of Whatastar but Jordash was stalking the leaders and she moved through smoothly inside the final 200m to win going away.
The second race, a Class 3 Handicap (F&M) over 1200m, looked wide open and it came as no surprise to see a blanket finish with less than a length covering the first five across the line. Miss World (33/10) tried gamely to lead from start to finish but was collared in the final stride by Trip To Maputo (12/1) under a strong hands-and-heels ride by Gareth Wright. Babelicious (7/2) had every chance and took third spot narrowly ahead of Miss Marguerite and Artiste.
Candice Bass-Robinson completed a race-to-race double as Rahhabba (9/10) proved a popular winner of the third race, a Maiden Plate (F&M) over 1200m. The debutante Miss William (33/1) showed good gate speed and disputed the early lead with Rahhabba, but over the final 200m the favourite, with Aldo Domeyer in the saddle, asserted her authority and forged clear to score by more than a length. Miss William stayed on nicely to fill the Exacta position with another newcomer Ruby Rex rounding off the Trifecta.
Domeyer made it two on the bounce as he picked up the ride on Flying Finley (11/10) in the fourth race, a Maiden Plate over 1000m. The sparingly raced 3yo son of Oratorio flew out the gates and was never sighted thereafter by his 11 rivals. Flying Finley had them well and truly strung out at the halfway stage and without being asked a serious question the Graham Hodges owned and bred gelding crossed the line three lengths clear of Heritage Ridge to give Paul Reeves an exacta with Poetic Princess third.
Beaten favourite in his last five starts, Landoftherisingsun has been frustrating to follow but on this occasion Gavin Lerena opted for front-running tactics and under top weight of 61,5kgs the smart-looking son of Danon Platina spreadeagled the opposition in rampant fashion to win the fifth race, an Open Maiden over 1600m, by a very wide margin.
Please Be True, a chance ride for JP van der Merwe in the sixth race, a Class 4 Handicap over 1600m, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, scoring a last-gasp victory over Boogified, who looked all over a winner until the final few metres. Please Be True was switched off towards the rear of the field and he then took some time to find his rhythm once heads were turned for home. But the 3yo son of One World finally hit top gear below the 200m marker and reeled in Boogified much to the relief of his legion of supporters. For Corne Orffer it was his second short-head defeat of the afternoon, having been beaten a similar margin on Miss World earlier. King’s Quest failed to fire and finished a disappointing fifth.
Glen Kotzen saddled the Exacta in the seventh race, a Cape C Stakes over 2200m, as 6yo Chollima (16/1) made light of 64kgs under Ashton Arries to out-point his younger stable companion Bombers In The Sky. This was Chollima’s first visit to the winner’s enclosure in 1005 days and a fourth career victory for the 6yo son of Pathfork. Bombers In The Sky was not disgraced in defeat and the 3yo son of Lancaster Bomber looks a decent stayer in the making.
Hollywood Racing’s Jou Lekker Ding gave Gareth Wright his second winner on the day in the eighth race, a Class 4 Handicap (F&M) over 1400m. Trained by Vaughan Marshall, Jou Lekker Ding (10/1) locked horns with the favourite Sohot Sowhat inside the final 200m and gained the upper hand late to score narrowly. Sohot Sowhat conceded the winner 6,5kgs and was far from disgraced in defeat.
