Count Huhtikuu is a comfortable winner at Turffontein Inside (JC Photos)
The James Crawford-trained Count Huhtikuu was the star of the show at Turffontein Inside on Saturday when winning a strong Graduation Plate over 1600m by a cosy 1,30 lengths under Callan Murray and the win clinched a double for Heinrich Rix’s Stonehill Stud and his underrated stallion Royal Mo.
Crawford had called this Royal Mo gelding a horse he had always liked and a big improver when trying him high in last season’s Gr 1 SA Derby and in the Gr 3 Magical Zulu Kingdom 2200. In the 2200 he was beaten just 2,95 lengths by Otto Luyken and as he was 4,5kg under sufferance he was raised to a 95 merit rating. However, he still faced a tough task on paper on Saturday as he was officially a whopping 12kg under sufferance with the fancied Gr 2 Gauteng Guineas winner Parisian Walkway, who is rated 119. The distance of 1600m might have seemed on the sharp side considering he ran in the aforementioned features over longer trips, but in fact the last time he ran over 1600m he finished just 0,90 lengths behind the progressive older horse Claw when receiving just 2kg in the May of his three-year-old season. However, his draw of ten out of ten on the tight track was tough and he duly drifted out alarmingly from 9/2 to 25/2. Murray took him up to the head of affairs and was content with a one out and one back position behind 115-rated leader Solar Sail. Despite facing the breeze, Count Huhtikuu was beautifuly relaxed. He drew alongside Solar Sail coming off the elbow at the 300m mark and then skipped away and stayed on resolutely to beat Solar Sail by 1,30 lengths with Parisian Walkway staying on for a 1,35 length third. It was the latter’s first run since disappointing in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 on 24 May and he should come on from the run. The favourite was actually the Candice Dawson-trained Pumpkin Pie, who might be rated only 92, but he had close up form to Choisanaada in the winter series and would have been racing fit. However, Pumpkin Pie was pipped for third by Parisian Walkway. Chestnut Bomber bounced back to form with a 2,40 length fifth and the useful Sean Tarry-trained pair of fillies Cocomelon and Gerbera were next best respectively.
Vaal trainer Brett Webber has done wonders with the Royal Mo stayer Mo Ment. After 12 starts this gelding looked to be a real battler as he had picked up a second, a fourth and a fifth in weak fields but in his other nine starts was usually well beaten. He is now a five-year-old and has won six times. His six wins have come in his last eleven runs starting from December 21 last year when he was stepped up to a staying trip of 2400m for the first time. His wins have ranged from 2400m up to 3000m and he keeps on improving. In fact he looked a certainty on paper on Saturday because he had won his previous start over 3000m by 10,50 lengths in a Middle Stakes event and he was raised only six points, so was surely running off a capped rating. The front-running Mo Ment dictated under the ever improving Malesela Katjedi and stayed on readily to win the 2600m Middle Stakes event by 1,60 lengths. Mo Ment’s first three runs were in Cape Town but he then moved to Webber’s Highveld yard when purchased by Mrs BI d’Oliviera, who is reaping the dividends of being patient as she now looks to have a stayer with feature race potential on her hands.
Earlier in a Middle Stakes event over 1000m the four-year-old Gimmethegreenlightgelding Gimmethegoodlife made it three wins in five starts since joining the Tony Peter yard, running out a comfortable 1,75 lengths winner under Louis Nhlapo, who substituted for absent Chad Little. Karate Kid ran on strongly for second and should pay to follow.
The useful Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained 108-rated Bjorn Ironside won a Graduation Plate over 1200m. He got his rating by finishing third in the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville as a two-year-old behind the classy Cats Pajamas, who ended last season with a 1,75 length fourth in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint. On Saturday Bjorn Ironside converted 9/10 odds, although he was receiving 3kg from the 92-rated Pennsylvania, who put in a fine performance to be beaten in the last couple of strides by half-a-length. The win clinched a double for Gimmthegreenlight.
Roy Magner scored a double on the day. His Act Of War three-year-old gelding Titans Of War scored at odds of 25/1 after Jeffery Syster got a late charge out of him in a 2000m handicap and later the What A Winter gelding Max The Magician looked a winner all the way of a 1600m MIddle Stakes event over 1600m as he travelled supremely before getting home by a comfortable two lengths under Muzi Yeni.
Mike an Matthew de Kock’s Buffalo Bill Cody filly Roaming Spirit made it a third career win when scoring in a 1000m handicap by 1,75 lengths and that was the first leg of a double for Callan Murray.
The Fabian Habib-trained 100-rated six-year-old Pomodoro gelding converted 17/10 favouritism in a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1800m, running out a cosy 1,10 length winner under the in-form 4kg claimer Girish Samo-Burthia, whose nine wins this season have been achieved at a strike rate of 20%.
