Otto Luyken runs on to win the Gr 3 Magical Zulu Kingdom 2200 from Navajo Nation with the luckless third-placed Magic Verse not in the picture. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
The James Crawford-trained Flower Alley gelding Otto Luyken defied what was to become a trend for horses who travelled to the Hollywoodbets Durban July meeting and ran over ground on Saturday.
When he won the “July consolation race”, the Gr 3 Magical Zulu Kingdom 2200, in resolute style, despite carrying a welter 61kg and jumping from a wide draw of 10 out of 12 and then getting caught wide, there was no inkling of what was to come i.e. the eight Hollywoodbets Durban July runners who traveled to the meeting filled the last eight places. That included two of Otto Luyken’s James Crawford-trained stablemates, Oriental Charm and Pomodoro’s Jet, who had also been prepared out of Randjesfonten and traveled down to the big meeting.
Most of the horses who traveled from Johannesburg were reportedly loaded on the floats in rainy and freezing conditions and it is possibly the reason for some of the below par performances, considering travelers from the Highveld had won the last two Julys i.e. the Crawford-trained pair Winchester Mansion and Oriental Charm.
The Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein-bred Otto Luyken had shown his class in his Cape Town winter series campaign. He ran the highly regarded Garrix to a head in the Gr 3 Legal Eagle Stakes over 1800m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, despite starting odds of 75/1, and he then proved that was no fluke by beating Garrix by a shorthead in the Listed Pocket Power Stakes over 1950m. He gave the three-year-old Garrix 1,5kg in the Legal Eagle Stakes and ran at level weights wih him in the Pocket Power.
James Crawford was confident of a big run by Otto Luyken on Saturday, having noticed this horse loves courses with short run-ins, like the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Winter Course.
Hollywoodbets Greyville also has a short run-in.
Otto Luyken jumped well and Luyolo Mxothwa sat on him and looked for an opportunity to slot in.
The opportunity never came, but to Mxothwa’s credit he accepted his position three wide without cover and concentrated on relaxing him rather than looking around continuously for a gap, which is probably the norm in such a situation and it only serves to unsettle a horse.
Otto Luyken responded in kind and lobbed along without any sign of overracing.
Mxothwa made up some ground around the final turn and Otto Luyken then stayed on well in the straight.
However, he did hang in substantially when chasing the leader in the straight, Navajo Nation.
Navajo Nation in turn hung out slightly and carried Johnny The Thief outward.
The end effect of both movements was that the running on Justin Snaith-trained Magic Verse had to be snatched up as there was nowhere to go and it cost him a winning chance as he appeared to be finishing strongly.
The stipendiary stewards decided that Magic Verse was not carried in by Otto Luyken and simply said, “In the concluding stages MAGIC VERSE (J P v’d Merwe) which hung in from the 300m, was steadied when
awkwardly placed between JOHNNY THE THIEF (M V’Rensburg) and the heels of OTTO LUYKEN (L Mxothwa) which was hanging in from the 350m and shifted in.”
Some would argue that Magic Verse did not hang in, he was carried in, as Otto Luyken hung in a number of horse-widths on his outside.
Nevertheless, Otto Luyken fetched Navajo Nation and won by a neck, while Magic Verse ran on again after being picked up and was beaten only 1,80 lengths despite being badly hampered.
Greg Bortz and Gina Goldsmith own Otto Luyken and Magic Verse also runs in their colours, so they might have two contenders from this race to try and qualify with bottom weights for next year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July.
Otto Luyken was raised two points to 116, a rating which would have seen him carry 54,5kg in this year’s July.
Magic Verse, who stayed in the July this year right until the final field elimination stage, could well have the big race as his target next year.
Otto Luyken gave the runner up Navajo Nation 5kg and gave Magic Verse half-a-kilogram, so it was a decent performance.
On the downside the July was considered a crawl and Otto Luyken’s time was 2,59 seconds slower.
Neither Otto Luyken nor Magic Verse appear among the Gold Cup day nominations.
The result was not the only plus point for Bortz and Goldsmith to take out of the day, because although Oriental Charm was disappointing in his defence of the Hollywoodbets Durban July crown, their part-owned Justin Snaith-trained three-year-old gelding Native Ruler, who came from the widest draw of all in the big one and had to weave through traffic in the straight, was one of the unluckiest and most eyecatching July runners in sixth place.
Post race comments for the Gr 3 Magical Zulu Kingdom 2200:
LUYOLO MXOTHWA : “This is a big horse who likes to race up handy. I had a bit of a bad draw today, but came out positive to be handy. There was pace on the inside, so I couldn’t get there. I found myself 3 wide. I was going to use him to go forward, but then as the pace was a bit sedate, I decided to do exactly what everyone else was doing. He was relaxed and in a nice rhythm. Just before I turned for home, I tightened him up and when he saw the other horse quicken up on his inside, he just found more … and the race was over!”JAMES CRAWFORD : “I was a little concerned when Louis was 3 wide, but had him settled and in a good rhythm. He switched-off. Louis and this horse get on so well … it’s fluid in motion. When Louis moved up and made his run, the horse quickened with him. He’s such a fighter and fought on gamely to the line. He won a very gutsy race, carrying that weight. A great ride by Louis. It’s nice to get the first feature of the day!”GREG BORTZ : “It’s absolutely fantastic to have a winner on HOLLYWOODbets’s big day with the job that they put on, for racing in the city and the province, is just a pleasure and a privilege. If you look at the horses that ran 1st and 3rd, they both had high enough merit ratings to qualify for the main race today. We made the decision for both of them to run in this race. I think it was the right call and we are absolutely thrilled. Enormous kudos to James … what a remarkable training feat as he took the horse from Cape Town up to Joburg … prepped it and came down in terrific condition … and to Louis who rode confidently and didn’t want to know about losing … you saw it in the way he finished the race.”