Strawberry Thief (Canford Cliffs) is the second leg of a four-timer for Richard Fourie and it secured a quick treble for Brett and James Crawford, who won races three, four and five. (Picture: Wayne Marks).
Richard Fourie’s four-timer at Hollywoodbets Durbanville today saw him reach 151 wins for the season putting him just 14 wins behind the national log leader Craig Zackey. Fourie has done it at a strike rate of 25.12%. Two of his wins today were for Brett and James Crawford, who scored a treble.
Graeme Hawkins wrote the below report about the meeting.
Graeme Hawkins (Gold Circle)
Candice Bass-Robinson got off to a flyer at a lightning-fast Hollywoodbets Durbanville yesterday saddling the first two home in the opener, a Maiden Juvenile Plate (Fillies) over 1000m. The ante-post favourite Cliffscape was scratched during the morning, leaving Candice with two debutantes to represent the stable, and they did her proud. Amen Corner (7/1) bounced away smartly from the gates and kept up a resolute gallop all the way to the line to hold off her stable companion Precocious (16/1) by just under a length.
Elusive Winter (6/1) and The Abdicator (9/4) cut each other’s throat in the second race, a Middle Stakes over 1000m, setting a cracking gallop with Nordic Chief (8/1) some four lengths adrift in third spot and the balance of the 7-strong field a long way back. Elusive Winter tried gamely to keep going when The Abdicator threw in the towel, but Nordic Chief accelerated smartly into the closing stages and drew clear to score comfortably, stopping the clock at 56,56 seconds – marginally outside the course record set by Empress Club in 1992. The favourite Arctic Wizard was run off his feet in the early stages and turned for home at the rear, but the 3yo son of What A Winter ran on well to close out the Quartet and is clearly better over slightly further.
The impeccably bred Hoerikwaggo (7/2) put her act together in fine style under Richard Fourie to win the third race, an Open Maiden (F&M) over 1250m, at only the third time of asking. There was solid on course support for the newcomer Thingamabob and the daughter of Trippi caught the eye by finishing second just ahead of the consistent Catch A Penny (33/10) who tried to make all the running from a poor draw. Hoerikwaggo has plenty of upside and will appreciate further while Thingamabob looks a winner in waiting and should be worth following at her next start.
The Brett & James Crawford training team are back in full swing and recorded a race to race double with Dubbelosix (9/4) saluting in the fourth race, an Open Maiden over 1600m. Dubbelosix hit the front approaching the final 300m and had more than enough in hand to hold out Master Bomber (6/1) and Tunguska (14/1) by a diminishing half-a-length. Thirty-five minutes later the Crawford outfit completed the hattrick when Strawberry Thief (5/2) came from last to beat the professional maiden English Mistress (5/2) by half-a-length in the fifth race, an Open Maiden (F&M) over 1800m. Following on the success of Hoerikwaggo earlier, Strawberry Thief was a second winner for Richard Fourie in the colours of his sponsor Ridgemont.
The sixth race, a Class 4 Handicap (F&M) over 1800m, produced a good finish between the well backed Lavendar Bay, a chance ride for Sean Veale, and the top weight Royal Invitation (10/1) with the former prevailing by a neck in receipt of 6,5kgs. The money was also on the button in the seventh race, a Class 5 Handicap over 1000m, when Devin Ashby produced Lucy Rocket (33/10) from a few lengths off the pace with a well-timed late charge to mow down Champagne Mac (7/2) over the last 50m.
Fourie rode his third winner aboard Street Outlaw for trainer Ricky Maingard when getting the better of Firingonallengines in a head-bobbing duel in the eighth race, a Class 4 Handicap over 1250m. Firingonallengines tried gamely to go from pillar-to-post and was only undone by Fourie’s magic in the very last stride. Iconic Destination failed to overcome his wide draw and was never a factor, finishing more than three lengths off the winner.
Fourie added a fourth winner with a spectacular victory on Okavango in the ninth race, a Class 4 Handicap over 1600m. In a well spread-out field, Okavango (28/10) cornered for home three lengths behind the second last horse and at that stage his chance of success seemed a lost cause. But the Justin Snaith-trained 3yo son of Master Of My Fate began to reel them in one by one up the home stretch and amazingly got up in the last few metres to deny Touchdown (6/1) by a head.
