Underworld (Querari) beats stablemate Get Impressed (Vercingetorix) to give Muzi Yeni a double and Justin Snaith the first leg of a double. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Andrew Harrison (Gold Circle)
Locally based trainers always face an uphill task during South Africa’s Champions Season as the out-of-towners arrive with the cream of their crops. Highveld-based trainers have their moments but most are hard-pressed to match runners from the Western Cape. The second race on the Hollywoodbets Greyville card, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1400m, was a prime example as it was dominated by Cape-based runners, Aversator making good improvement on his debut effort for Dean Kannemeyer and the Justin Snaith-trained Indigenous runner-up.
Sean Veale gave him a clear run at the line going up the inside of the field and the son of Rafeef quickened up smartly to win going away. Andrew Fortune picked his way through the field from well off the pace and Indigenous ran on well to take the shallow end of the purse.
Both colts look promising and worth following come the sharp end of the season.
Nautical Landing saved a large number of Place Accumulator tickets as two rank outsiders Street Talk and Echo were culprits of one of the biggest exacta payouts in recent memory, both finishing strongly to edge out the luckless Nautical Landing as Tristan Godden tried valiantly to keep the filly together over the final two furlongs. Muzi Yeni was of the opinion that Kom Naidoo’s filly is looking for much further with the strong pace playing in her favour.
Harun Al Rashid finally got his act together, a runaway winner of the opening leg of the Pick 6. Not an easy horse to train as he tends to lather up before his races but he finished with a rattle to finally show what he had promised in his earlier races. Runaway pacemaker Angel Boy J compounded at the top of the straight and apprentice Mxolisi Mbuto was lucky to stay aboard as his mount nearly came to a halt.
The handicappers are often under fire from trainers accusing them of being heavy-handed when dishing out penalties but the three points afforded One Smart Cookie kept her competitive as Tienie Prinsloo’s filly went back-to-back but with the entire field breathing down her neck in a blanket finish to the fifth. Magical View, School Policy and Woza Nawe were all within a neck at the line.
Pongola is not an easy ride as alluded to by Michael Roberts. Not a horse that takes kindly to being bustled early in a race stand-in rider Siphesihle Hlengwa, replacing an indisposed Rachel Venniker, was on a hiding to nothing. However, from off the pace, Pongola was closing in relentlessly on the filly Fireburst who had got the better of pacemaker Gorgeous Dude, but he kept shifting in on his rival. There was no contact but Hlengwa lost his crop 100m out trying to keep his mount on a straight course and got to the line with a nose to spare.
It was a Snaith one-two in the seventh as Underworld got the better of stable companion Get Impressed with Diani staying on strongly for third. It was a tactical ride from Fortune who had Underworld pinned on the rail behind pacemaker Cherry Ano and getting first run. However, not to be outdone, Yeni got his mount into stride off the false rail and a ding-dong battle ensued up the straight with Underworld making light of his weight to get the better of his rival.
Okavango looked to be the best bet on the card and so it proved as Fortune finally got out of the second box. A son of Master Of My Fate out of the exceptionally talented mare Sabina Park, he had turned in an eye-catching performance when winning at Hollywoodbets Durbanville last time out, coming from the clouds to get up close home. It was a lot easier yesterday as Fortune had him in the box seat from his pole position draw and although he took a little time to get rolling, Fortune was looking around a long way out for any challenges.
It was a comfortable victory and with Fortune saying that Okavango would enjoy a furlong further, the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 looks a possible target but he will probably be up against stable companion Eight On Eighteen and the WSB 1900 may be a better option.
Cape form was once again to the fore as Plum Pudding rounded off the meeting for Andre Nel and Serino Moodley. Well back turning for home, Plum Pudding got a dream split up the centre of the track and finished off her race in style.
