Future Free wins easily on Saturday at Hollywoodbets Durbanville (Picture: Wayne Marks)
The strength of Cape racing is shown in the class of horse that has been appearing at what is supposedly their lesser centre of Hollywoodbets Durbanville and there were a number of impressive performances in the meeting on Saturday.
The star of the day was Eight On Eighteen’s half- brother by Futura, Future Free. The Justin Snaith-trained three-year-old colt was having his fifth career start having won last time out carrying 58kg off an 81 rating in an open maiden over 1400m. He relished the step up to 1800m on Saturday in a Class 5 handicap. He might have been running off only an 82 rating in a seven horse field, but it takes a good horse to come from last, then be switched wide for a run and end up winning going away by 2,50 lengths in effortless fashion. Justin Snaith and Craig Zackey were not getting carried away, but the latter summed it up well by saying he was a really nice horse and was still soft so there was plenty of scope for improvement. The Drakenstein homebred is part-owned by Bernard Kantor and runs in his familiar yellow colours with blue epaulettes, which are among the colours on Hollywoodbets Greyville’s Wall Of Honour as the colours carried by the great dual Hollywoodbets Durban July- winning Do It Again. The latter was in fact the last horse in the Snaith yard to run in the Kantor colours. July watchers would have earmarked Future Free as a candidate for next year’s big race after Saturday’s performance, although with Drakenstein being the part-owners, thus meaning breeding potential is foremost, a classic route is more likely this season than a weight-protecting July-targeting campaign. Future Free was always going to be a late bloomer being by stamina influence Futura and a half-brother to Eight On Eighteen, who got better and better throughout his three-year-old season. Future Free is one to follow. He will get better with another step up in trip and has exciting potential.
One of Snaith’s other winners was also particularly eyecatching. The Varsfontein Stud-homebred Gimmethegreenlight filly Gimme What I Want was having her third start, having won in good style second time out over 1200m. In Saturday’s 1250m Class 4 event she ran off an 84 merit rating and jumping from a good draw of four she found cover one wide in midfield. She turned it on impressively after being switched to the outside of her nine opponents and won going away by 0,75 lengths under JP van der Merwe. She is a half-sister to the like of Graded winners Bunker Hunt (Dynasty), My Soul Mate (Master Of My Fate) and Salvator Mundi (Dynasty) and as the latter pair have both won over 2800m she should should get a mile at least. This three-year-old could also be a classic contender.
The Greg Ennion-trained Arctic Wizard could take in a feature sprint this season as he quickened superbly late in the day, after sitting handy from draw three, to win a Middle Stakes event over 1000m by half-a-length under Muzi Yeni, carrying 61,5kg off a 101 merit rating. The four-year-old What A Winter gelding was bred by the partnership of Marsh Shirtliff’s Greenacres Trust and Hemel ‘N Aarde Stud and is out of a Bold Silvano half-sister to two Listed winners. He was a bargain R110,000 purchase.
The Snaith-trained four-year-old Gimmethegreenlight gelding Scottish Kiss also turned it on nicely in a 1250m event, coming from the back of an eight horse Class 3 field to win by half-a-length under Callan Murray off a 90 merit rating.
Snaith and Gimmethegreenlight had a treble together. The first of them was the progressive Klawervlei Stud-bred Lyrical Gangster, who won a 1000m maiden by 2,25 lengths for the partnership of Greg Bortz and Gina Goldsmit and Sandy and Eugene Arundel’s Itssa IT and Business Solutions, ridden by JP van der Merwe.
The Candice Bass three-year-old gelding Astronomical Boy was the other Gimmethegreenlight winner on the day and got his maiden out the way third time out, winning by a length under Craig Zackey. He was the second top priced lot at the Race Coast Sales Cape Premier Yearling Sale, going for R2.2 million. The half-brother to Gr 1 winner Cosmic Speed (Querari) was bred by Maine Chance Farms and is owned by Khaya Stables.
The Ricky Maingard-trained Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein-bred The United States four-year-old colt Pinot Grigio won the Remembering Barry Donnelly Middle Stakes over 1600m under champion apprentice Bevan Plaaitjies and could have a minor feature in him.
Glen Kotzen and Chad Little combined for a double on the day with Legislate filly Sesame exiting the maidens in her eighth career start at 33/1 odds over 1600m and One World gelding Worldy winning a 1250m Class 5 handicap off a 72 merit rating.
