Star Major produced a scything run through the middle of horses to win the Gr 2 WSB Guineas full of running under Mickaelle Michel, displaying his Hollywoodbets Durban July credentials in no uncertain terms (Picture: Chase Liebenberg)
Star Major raised to 118, One Eye On Vegas to 114
Ravi Naidoo has another chance of achieving his dream of winning the Hollywoodbets Durban July, a dream he went so close to in 2024, but instead it went to another Durban-born owner, Greg Bortz, as Oriental Charm hold on by 0,30 lengths from Cousin Casey.
Ravi is a part-owner in the James Crawford-trained Querari colt Star Major, who won Saturday’s Gr 2 WSB Guineas and this gave the passionate owner a third win in this iconic event, which used to be a Gr 1 race known as the SA Guineas.
Star Major’s win also converted a Guineas double for both Jonathan Bloch and Maine Chance Farms.
Bloch is a part-owner in both Gr 2 WSB Fillies Guineas winner Wish List, as well as in Star Major, and Maine Chance Farms bred both horses.
Mickaelle Michel scored her first feature win in KZN, but it was in fact the French jockey’s second Gr 2 victory of the week, because she won the Gr 2 TAB Senor Santa Stakes on the Sean Tarry-trained Jerusalema Rain last Tuesday.
Ravi Naidoo was a part-owner in 2022 WSB Guineas winner, the Brett Crawford-trained Zapatillas, and in last year’s winner, the Justin Snaith-trained Sail The Seas.
He has thus pulled off three wins of this important three-year-old classic in the space of four calendar years, or in other words he has won three of the last five renewals.
He was also a part-owner, of course, in the 2023 fourth-placed Cousin Casey.
Naidoo made no secret from day one of the regard Star Major was held in and his victory on Saturday’s made the three-year-old look like the real deal.
The good looking bay colt has duly shortened in the Hollywoodbets Durban July ante-post betting to about 17/1.
Naidoo, who races under the name Kalinga, part-owns Star Major together with Bloch, Neville Isdell and Prakashni Pillay.
Star Major began to show what he was capable of after the New Year, first by winning the Gr 3 HKJC World Pool Politician Stakes over 1800m at odds of 33/1 having finished fifth in the Race Coast Punters Cup and a 3,45 length sixth in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas, and he followed with a good fourth in the Gr 1 Lucky Fish Cape Derby.
On Saturday the Sean Tarry-trained Tin Pan Alley was all the rage in the WSB Guineas market, having won the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Stakes by 3,75 lengths, beating six Gr 1 winners in the process, including WSB Met winner See It Again.
However, Tin Pan Alley lost the race at the start.
He was officially “slow into stride” and after finding a position on the rail further back than he would have liked to have been he began over-racing, which ultimately made him a sitting duck in the final stages.
Star Major settled well from the off and sat in joint last place with cover from Happy Verse, who was sitting outside of Tin Pan Alley.
In the straight Tin Pan Alley’s class enabled him to hit the front at about the 50m mark, overtaking One Eye On Vegas who was unable to go through with his dangerous looking run.
However, Tin Pan Alley’s earlier exertions meant his finish was laboured compared to his finish in the Horse Chestnut. In the latter race he had been able to stride out throughout and had thus reserved his energy more efficiently.
Star Major, rated 114, scythed through the field with long strides under a fine ride by Mickaelle Michel to beat the favourite by 0,90 lengths.
One Eye On Vegas (107) was beaten two lengths into third, while Happy Verse (113) ran on quite well and was beaten 2,50 lengths into fourth. Malmesbury Missile (110) was beaten 3,30 lengths into fifth.
One Eye On Vegas was the only horse in the top six officially rated below 110, although it should be pointed out the handicappers initially had him at 115.
The last five horses were all rated 106 or below.
The handicappers used Happy Verse as the line horse and raised Star Major to 118.
Tin Pan Alley remains on 128.
One Eye On Vegas has been raised to 114.
The 3,30 length fifth-placed Malmsbury Missile has been raised from 110 to 111.
The 4,70 length seventh-placed Touched By Angels has been raised from 103 to 108.
The 4,80 length eighth-placed Aristocratic has been raised from 101 to 105, while 7,45 length eleventh-placed Intensiry has been lowered from 106 to 101.
Star Major was a R500 000 National Yearling Sale purchase and is now a winner of three races. His ten starts have also yielded five places and he took his stakes total to R880 295.
