Littlemissmillion proves her class in the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks (JC Photos)
The winner of the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks, the Tyrone Zackey-trained Littlemissmillion, will be put away for the rest of the season, but the horse whose Triple Tiara party she ruined, the Corne Spies-trained Hazy Dazy, will be nominated for the Hollywoodbets Durban July on Monday and the yard will then work out her best route into the big race.
Craig Zackey has had two rides on Littlemismillion for two wins and Tyrone explained the jockey booking for the Oaks, “Craig won on her second time out and I didn’t want to take him off, but Philasande Mxoli has been coming to ride work for me regularly and we have built up a nice working relationship. So I told Craig he was busy chasing the championship and did not have time to worry about this little filly and he said. ‘No, but I will make a plan, Uncle Ty’. I then explained to him the situation and when he heard who was going to take the ride Craig is such a good-hearted person he was fully in support of the decision and he said I must just call him when I need him.”
Mxoli finished a 3,75 length fifth on her in the Gr 3 Ducat Africa Fillies Mile before winning on her in a handicap over 1600m off a 96 rating and he then ran a 4,60 length fifth on her in the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas.
Tyrone said, “When I watched the Fllies Mile I thought the filly might have been green, as she came too late, but the same thing then happened in the Guineas. So I then thought I would give the ride to Ryan Munger as I give him quite a few rides and he is a lucky jockey for me. But with him too she somehow came with her run too late (and it was a third successive fifth place in Group races won by Hazy Dazy).”
He continued, “When Craig then approached me I spoke to Mxoli and he was very understanding and said ‘If it’s Craig then put him on rather.’”
Craig did not make any changes to the hold up tactics and Tyrone said, “He rode her exactly the way he did when he won on her here at Turffontein. He says you have to leave her alone, especially when you jump. You just leave her and then she will tell you when to go. He said when she was coming around the turn he started to feel her. With that she started gradually increasing her speed. He said, ‘By that time she was traveling so well I just let her carry on. Then when the other one (Hazy Dazy) started challenging I gave her one or two smacks and she took off again. But then she started twitching her ears (as if she was still looking for company), so there is still improvement to come, Uncle Ty.”
However, Tyrone concluded, “She had a hard campaign with these three runs and she is not a colossal filly, she is small but she’s got a lot of rein and she’s very good. But the problem is when you take them out of training and try and bring them back for races like the Woolavington you find they are not doing well because they have had a hard campaign, so I would rather give her a nice winter break, let her grow, and then bring her back in the summer.”
What A Warrior (Erupt), who like Littlemissmillion is owned by Tyrone’s daughter and son-in-law Nadine and Kevin Backos is another Champions Season possibility, but Tyrone said he would likely favour resting and gelding him instead of a KZN campaign.
Meanwhile, Corne Spies was understandably disappointed that Hazy Dazy did not complete the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara, but he has been racing for a long time and took it on the chin.
“We are not poorer, but we’re definitely not richer,” he chortled.
He added, “We were beaten on the day. She was making up ground in the last 100m to 150m, but it then got a bit tight for her on the rail, so you’ve got to just swallow twice. She still ran a cracker of a race. The third and the fourth horse were beaten out of sight. The winner got first run on us, so well done to them. If I had been told at the Sales she would finish second in the Oaks and nothing else I would have grabbled it with both hands. She has still been a dream horse and we can carry on.”
He added, “We will probably nominate her for the July on Monday. We will then have to plan her route. There are a bunch of options with the Daily News and the Woolavington definitely being among the numbers on the dice we need to roll.”
He said he would like to give her a look at Hollywoodbets Greyville before the Hollywoodbets Durban July and he added that it was a pity the KZN Breeders Mile was two weeks before the July and not three weeks.
He continued, “She took her run in the Oaks very well, but she’s having a bit of an easy and we will probably start her up again towards the beginning of May and will hopefully have her spot on for the big one.”
Corne was disappointed in William Robertson’s unplaced run in the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint, but it was clearly not his run and he is being lined up for Champions Season races like the Gr 2 Golden Horse Sprint, the Gr 2 Post Merchants and the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint.
Miss Elegantrix will be targeted at the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint, having been runner up in the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship last year.
