Field Marshall gains more black type for his late sire Lancaster Bomber (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Frank Robinson might opt for the Gr 3 Tote Derby and the Gr 3 Gold Vase as the respective targets of his Listed Lonsdale Stirrup Cup first and third-placed Field Marshall and Shoot The Rapids.
He also has news about his best Hollywoodbets July hope, Madison Valley, and about his smart Woolavington 2000 third-placed filly Mocha Blend.
The three-year-old gelding Field Marshall gave the late sire Lancaster Bomber the first of two stakes victories on Saturday at Hollywoodbets Greyville and put more emphasis on just what a big loss he has been to SA breeding, although his legacy will fortunately continue through the like of potential stallions like Eight On Eighteen and Snow Pilot.
Frank had felt before the race, and had told many who had asked him, that he did not feel Shoot The Rapids could give Field Marshall 8,5kg and still beat him.
He said Field Marshall was an improving horse and his below par previous start had been a flat run following a bout of anti-biotics.
He said most of the Lancaster Bombers stayed and he was confident Field Marshall would stay.
So it proved.
The gelding got a good position in midfield one wide with cover in the small eight horse field having jumped from draw eight under Kabelo Matsunyane.
In the straight he ran on well to beat the pacemaker Future Swing by 1,40 lengths.
Shoot The Rapids stayed on well from midfeild on the rail to be beaten just a short-head by Future Swing, so owner of both hores Sid Moodley went close to getting the exacta.
Frank bought the Lammerskraal Stud-bred Field Marshall on behalf of owner Sid at the BSA Cape Yearling Sale for R325,000.
He said, “He was a magnificent yearling, I thought he was the nicest on the Sale. I also remembered his mother, the Western Winter mare Marcheline. She won second time out for Alyson Wright in impressive style and I remember saying to Alyson, ‘wow that is a nice filly’ and she agreed. But then she unfortunately got injured. She ended up just a one-time winner but I remembered the potential she had.”
Frank has Field Marshall in the Hollywoodbets Durban July, although he admitted it might be too much for him to get in.
He has him entered in the Gr 3 Cup Trial but his merit rating has increased to 105, meaning he woud have to carry 53,5kg as opposed to he orginal 52kg he had upon being entered.
He added, “So what I am thinking is maybe the Derby. He has won at Pietermaritzburg and its quite a nice race to win. He will come in with 54kg and will be a massive runner.”
Frank pointed to Shoot The Rapids’ tremendous run in last year’s Gold Cup as a sign of his stamina capacity and class. He was the one of the three in the front vanguard who had broken away from the rest and yet stayed on very well and was unlucky not to win. He was bumped and carried in by Future Swing and yet was only beaten a neck. Frank decided there and then to give him a deserved five or six months off recognising what a halcyon effort he had put in. The race would have taken a lot out of him.
Frank said Shoot The Rapids should be cherry ripe for the Gr 3 Gold Vase over 3000m on Hollywoodbets Durban Juy day, a race he finished a narrow second in last year to his stablemate Madison Valley.
Frank said, “Shoot The Rapids is not a bad horse. If you watch him in the WSB 1900, he was so unlucky, as he was coming into that gap he was squeezed out, he should have run second, definitely. I wasn’t going to run him in the Lonsdale, because he was going to have to carry 61kg. But then what happened was there were only six acceptors and they were humming and haaing, so I thought just put him back in. But he hadn’t really had a proper prep and I think that’s what found him out in the last bit of the race. He got a little bit tired towards the end. He has come out of the race well though.”
Frank’s best July hope is Madison Valley and he said he had just not “found himself” after gelding, which had happened after his tremendous Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup run, in which he came from the tail of the field to run a 2,35 length fourth.
He did have an excuse for his last run in the WSB 1900 as he had acquired a nick on his back and the infection caused his leg to swell up. A course of anti-biotics had thus been necessary.
Frank said, “He should have won the Summer Cup. flying for fourth from draw 20. Then after that, I thought I’ve got to do the right thing, because he was rigged, one of his testicles was in his stomach, so had the op and left him on the farm for three months. Then I started prepping him and there were to 1600s I gave him just to get him up to speed and the 1900 was the one where he would qualify. Unfortunately, the anti-biotics, you think you can get way with it but you can’t, and they just flattened him for the race.”
However, there was good news this week about Madison Valley.
“I galloped him this morning (Monday) and he galloped like a superstar and looks unbelievable. I have him in a good space and I think he will win that race.”
Frank has decided to wait until the Gr 2 Gold Bracelet over 2000m on Gold Cup day before running his smart Ideal World filly Mocha Blend again. She finished a good 1,50 length third in the Gr 2 Woolavington 2000.
He said, “I think she needs to develop still, she’s a big baby in my opinion. The penny hasn’t really dropped with her. She’s still growing, she’s a big filly, a long filly and she just needs to grow into her frame. I think she can be a very good filly for next year. I will look at Turffontein towards the end of the year, those feature races there. Next year will be her year.”
