The Frank Robinson-trained One Path (One World) wins the first (Picture: Anneke Akal Kitching)
Andrew Harrison (Gold Circle)
The first on the poly at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Wednesday looked to be a ‘boat race’ between the Frank Robinson-trained One Path and Nautical Landing and they ran to the script. Tristan Godden tried to bring stamina into play as he set off in front on Nautical Landing but Sean Veale was wise to the tactics and had the hot-pot favourite tracking his rival.
The two came together at the top of the straight and for a second it looked as if the favourite would draw off to win comfortably, but Nautical Landing refused to give in as Mike Miller’s charge kept finding, but eventually had to play second fiddle.
Wear-and-tear or just in their place in the handicap is mostly the reason horses are retired around their six-year-old career. However, there are still some tough gallopers around. Brass Bell is no ‘Winks’, the brilliant multiple Gr1 winning Australian mare who raced well into her equine dotage, but the eight-year-old grey looked more like a three-year-old as his pranced away from the winner’s box after downing the hot favourite L’Ultima in the second.
L’Ultima was the only horse in the market as a mountain of money saw him into the red and he looked to have landed the gamble a furlong out. But Kabelo Matsunyane waited long enough on the grey before lighting the fuse and Brass Bell ran on stoutly to land a smart victory for Duncan Howells.
The vagaries of the weather can put a spanner in the works of any well-laid training programme but Strathclyde came through after missing an abandoned meeting on the turf last Sunday, albeit narrowly. Tony Rivalland was in two minds whether to let his charge take his chances first up on the poly, not his preferred surface according to his trainer, but Rachel Venniker got going just at the right time to hold off a late-charging William Rufus to get favourite backers off to a winning Pick 6 start.
MJ Odendaal, a champion jockey in his day, mentioned that a jockey never forgets the name of his first winner. The name Etiquette and trainer Garth Puller will be forever etched into the heart of Siphesihle Hlengwa as the gelding kept fighting to the line to hold off a fast-closing Trois Trois Quatre for the fifth win of his career in a courageous win in the first leg of the jackpot. Long-time owner Tony Tombe, now resident in Cypress, was on hand to lead in his charge but it was a top effort from one of the rising stars of the jockey room.
Puller has mentored Hlengwa from an early start as an apprentice but it is only recently that Puller has placed his faith in the youngster whose career is on the rise.
Cole Dicken came home with a fist full of dollars as a Few Dollars More cruised home to a more than comfortable victory for Glen Kotzen and KZN assistant John Buckler. Always handy as Future Saint cut out the early fractions, a Few Dollars More responded smartly to Dicken’s urgings and Few Dollars More sped away from the opposition to win with plenty of daylight between him and Banzai Pipeline who put in a belated effort for second.
Craig Eudey was one of the longest serving assistants ever when he and now retired Alistair Gordon were in a partnership stretching over 22 years. He is now an integral part of Mike Miller’s yard and the experience of two seasoned horseman is plain to see as the stable steps out winner after winner. Ethereal View made short work of her opposition as stable rider Tristan Godden, tacking the early pace, took his mount up the inside and she kept finding to dispel any stable doubts that she would not stay the trip.
In his post-race interview after Strathclyde had held on to win the third, Rivalland alluded to the fact that if Mr Henley got his act together he would be a big runner in the seventh. Well, Mr Henley obliged with a comfortable win to give the stable a double on the day. In front from the jump, Matsunyane timed his race to perfection for his second winner of the day, paying all his airfares from Gauteng.
Rachel Venniker has bigger fish to fry this coming Sunday when she partners See It Again in his warm-up for the Gr1 Betway Summer Cup. Piere Strydom is the regular rider for the Michael Roberts champion but there is speculation that Venniker may take over.
Venniker showed her prowess when booting home rank outsider Jane’s Vision in the last. Wide off the turn and out of trouble for the most, Jane’s Vision quickened up nicely to hold off Vision To Achieve who kept on stoutly for second.
