Talk To The Master (Master Of My Fate) makes it two out of three since joining Dom Zaki’s Summerveld yard and he gave Craig Zackey a quick treble (Picture: Race Coast)
Craig Zackey began the Hollywoodbets Scottsville meeting on Wednesday in devastating fashion, winning the first three races to extend his lead in the national championship.
It was also a memorable day for Divesh Ramkhalawon, who scored his first career double, and in fact this promising apprentice is going along at a career strike rate of 18.75% with three wins from just 16 rides.
Duncan Howells is known for bringing horses on with a run or two, which was probably why first-timer Kazenoyoni was ignored in the betting in the first, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m, because he looked the part and is out of the decent four time-winning Mambo In Seattle mare Bize. It has to be said that his Japanase-bred sire Danon Platina has been an overall disappointment, but he has been known to produce some precocious sorts and in fact just under three years ago Howells and Zackey combined to win over this same Hollywoodbets Scottsville course and distance with the Danon Platina first-timer Oriental Bouquet. In yesterday’s race Kazenoyoni looked a highly unlikely winner until the last 175m. However, he then suddenly began staying on strongly as the leader In The Red began paddling, while the favourite Better Never Ends was running around under pressure. Kazenoyoni got there easily in the end to win by 0,90 lengths from In The Red with the MIchael Roberts-trained first-timer Viking Leader (Erik The Red) in third. The first three were all 20/1 shots and the trifecta paid R2045.60.
In the next race, also a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m, Zackey bounced the 3/1 favourite Flamethrower out well and carved out a lead. He showed his professionalism by sitting on the Yogas Govender-trained Master Of My Fate colt until late in the race, so the horse had plenty in reserve when the challengers came and he won by 0,30 lengths from second favourite Quest Of Valor.
In the third over 1400m, a Progress Plate over 1400m. Zackey put the decent Dominic Zaki-trained four-year-old Talk To The Master (Master Of My Fate) in second place behind pacemaker Town Crier, who was a few lengths ahead, and he had judged it perfectly because the Justin Snaith-trained Randolph Hearst, having a Champions Season pipe opener, sat behind him but couldn’t go with him and was beaten 1,90 lengths.
The fourth race was an apprentice maiden over 1200m and the Frikkie Greyling-trained Last Winter gelding Frostbite was prominent throughout and driven out by Bavish Soodoo to win by 1,90 lengths in his second career starts at odds of 14/1.
In the fifth, a Maiden over 2400m, Keagan de Melo led from start to finish on the Adam Azzie-trained Futura filly Stampede Ahead and she won by 5,70 lengths at odds of 6/1. She relished the long trip, despite being out of the decent Australian-bred speedster San Fermin, who had produced two useful sprinters in Lead The Charge and Ready To Charge before this one.
The sixth, a Middle Stakes event, saw Ice Rain dictating with the Candice Bass-trained Rahhabba behind her and the latter outfought the former to win by 0,40 lengths under Sean Veale. The fancied pair Miss Twinkle and Ladyofdistinction couldn’t make up the ground off that steady pace.
The seventh was an apprentice handicap over 1200m and Divesh Ramkhalawon scored his second career win when extracting a strong finish on the outside on the Michael Roberts-trained Amafort (Mambo In Seattle).
In the eighth over 1200m Sean Veale clinched a double when extracting a powerful finish from the Dean Kannmeyer-trained Maphaka to pip the favourite Who Blinked.
In the last over 1200m Ramkhalawon scored his first career double when easily scoring on the Gary Rich-trained Yannakis (Erupt). Hollywood Racing thus won the last two races and are now on 117 wins for the season, just 11 short of their record with well over four months of the season still remaining.
