Rich Man’s World gets his three-year-old campaign off to a winning start at Hollywoodbets Durbanville last Wednesday (Picture: Wayne Marks)
The Vaughan Marshall-trained Rich Man’s World made waves as a two-year-old and his three-year-old campaign, which has been awaited with eagerness by the racing fraternity, began at Hollywoodbets Durbanville today (Wednesday) in a Progress Plate over 1250m.
It did not go smoothly and it was clearly just his quality, coupled with the fact that Richard Fourie is not only world class but knows the horse well, that pulled him through.
The big colt had not raced for four months and as Fourie put it, “He is just an absolute racehorse and he obviously has a lot of energy in him that needs to cook over.”
However, that did not stop bookmakers having him at 3/10 at one stage.
To add to the pressure Vaughan Marshall was not at the races on the day.
To compound matters the horse lost half of a loose tooth on the way to the start.
Fourie said, “He was very fresh and he didn’t switch off. He worked hard going to the start and he worked hard in the race.”
The powerful bay broke well from draw five of five and set off at a strong gallop, opening up a lead of about four lengths.
However as he went past the 400m mark the other four runners were closing rapidly.
The writing looked to be on the wall for favourite backers.
However, Fourie had just been giving him a breather and the big horse kept them at bay all the way to the line.
In the end the favourite backers were pleased to have got a starting price of 67/100.
Fourie explained, “I had to sit and wait and coming through the 300m mark, when they whooshed up to me, I went from doing nothing to asking him and he was already there and waiting. Yes, he did everything upside down, but it was just the quality that brought him through.”
The weights showed it to actually be a fine run by Rich Man’s World, despite the fact that it will clearly bring him on a ton.
He carried 60,5kg off his 115 merit rating, but under the conditions of the race he was officially the second worst weighted runner and was in fact 6kg under sufferance with the best weighted runner, the 110-rated Canford Cliffs four-year-old gelding Fox On The Run, who received 2kg from Rich Man’s World and stayed on for a half-a-length second.
The officially worst-weighted runner, the 100-rated three-year-old Heavenly Blue colt Hero’s Journey, was a 0,80 length third despite being 7,5kg under sufferance with Fox On The Run.
Beware and Shezaripper were beaten 1,80 and 2,10 lengths respectively.
Fourie said he was glad the horse had got a gallop into him, but he added that there was still a lot of work to be done.
The yard’s long-standing assistant Adele Alsop said Rich Man’s World was a gentleman to work with, but added that he kniw when it was race-time.
Part owner Ken Truter pointed out that it was Rich Man’s World’s first visit to Hollywoodbets Durbanville and that he had missed an intended gallop there.
Ken owns the Boland Stud-bred horse in partnership with his wife Jane as well as Reiner and Cheryl Gabler.
Rich Man’s World has now won four of five starts, including a Gr 3, and his only defeat was in the Gr 1 Gold Medallion, where he was beaten 0,30 length by Rafeef colt Haute Couture and he was 6,10 lengths clear of the rest of the field.
He will be an excting horse to follow this season and there is little doubt that his first big target will be the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas. He should enjoy the step up in trip being by Met winner One World out of a Silvano mare whose only win was over 1600m.
