Cleartherunway (Master Of My Fate) was a comfortable winner of Sunday’s Middle Stakes event over 2000m on the Hollywoodbets Greyville Poly (Picture: Race Coast)
Andrew Harrison (Race Coast)
A false start and a re-load did not bother Cleartherunway as Calvin Habib played the small field on the break to win the Middle Stakes over 2000m that headed the card at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday.
Pace was always going to be an issue in a five-horse field after a multitude of scratchings but Habib judged it to a nicety and Cleartherunway won well. Mark Dixon’s runner quickened up smartly at the top of the straight and strode away to win in a clever tactical ride.
Stable companion and favourite Master Du Rouvray got all revved up after the false start was called according to rider Keagan de Melo and was a spent force at the top of the straight.
In the first race of the day, Preux Chavalier went down to the start looking a million dollars and the market support proved to be on the mark. The colt came up on the right side of a protracted stretch duel with Trip To Venus but Hollywood Racing’s principal Anthony was not impressed given the depth of the form of the five-horse field. Who knows?
Veale, hunting his second winner on the bounce, took no prisoners in the first leg of the PA. Stuart Ferries filly Predator’s Crown was out and gone from the jump, kicked away at the top of the straight and was not for the catching in spite of some late attention from So Indi.
Music If Life was the money horse in the first leg of the Pick 6, backed in from and ante-post call of 12-1 to nearly favourite, but the gamble went astray. Replacement apprentice Blaine Marx-Jacobson watched all from the back of a small field before sending Darryle Moore’s charge Fort Usher for home and the race was over as a contest crossing the subway as he quickened past Music Of Life to win as he liked.
The striking grey Zagreb made short work of the opposition in the fourth. Tristan Godden, biding his time in the pack, asked for an effort at the top of the straight and the gelding strode clear to win as he liked, geared down to a canter ahead of Serpentine Fire.
Three-year-old Bangkok Magic put a useful field to bed in the fifth. As expected, the head-strong Blue Steel cut the early fractions and stayed on gamely but was not able to hold the challenge from Justin Snaith’s progressive son of Willow Magic.
It was two up for Darryl Moore as Vixen’s War made a winning debut for the stable. In a smart bit of race-riding, Keagan de Melo on Silver Salute did his best to pin Athandiwe Mgudlwa on the fence and get first jump on his rival, but Vixen’s War was too good up the inside rail.
In a race that lacked early speed, Splash Of Love came out of the pack like a missile at the top of the straight in the last as Paul Lafferty’s filly quickened past her rivals to win as if they were standing still.
