Fourie coaxes Fiery Pegasus home. The narrow runner up World Of Alice is out of the picture to the left. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Horses that lead from start to finish are often nominated for rides of the season because the pace judgement has to be spot on, but Richard Fourie’s ride at Turffontein on Saturday on the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks start-to-finish winner Fiery Pegasus was not all about pace judgement, it was rather about the nous he used to extract himself and his mount from a situation which would almost always be a losing one.
The Joe Soma-trained Captain Of All filly broke well and with daylight ahead of her took a strong hold of the bit. She does have a tendency to overrace. Her mouth even appeared to be open as Fourie attempted to bring her back, but instead she galloped further ahead.
Fourie said as they crossed the road she shied and put the brakes on and her ears pricked. This helped him, but he decided to keep her in the middle of the track for quite a bit to get her to come back to him, so that when they started climbing the hill she would not be burning as much energy as she had been down the back straight.
In the straight he took her to the outside, partly to find better going, but also to ensure she remained well away from other horses.
She entered the straight at least ten lengths clear.
Fourie then sat on the filly for as long as was humanly possible.
The Sean Tarry-trained World Of Alice had come from near the back and was beginning to close threateningly.
Fourie got to work at the 300m mark lifting the reins in the familiar upward circular motion which is used by jockeys today.
Fiery Pegasus had looked finished, but then started finding a bit.
As World Of Alice appeared on her inside, Fourie gave Fiery Pegasus a smack just after the 100m mark and then a couple more rhythmical backhanders.
She responded courageously and got her nose down just in time to defeat a surging World Of Alice by a shorthead with another Tarry runner, Cocomelon, beaten 2,25 lengths into third.
For a 1/3 shot it appeared she had made heavy weather of it, but in fact it was only the nous and skills of a master of his craft which had saved the day for favourite backers.
It was another fine win for the perennial over-ahievers, the Joe Soma yard, a small yard who have a big horse ot two virtually every season.
Fiery Pegasus landed two legs of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara, the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic and the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Bridget Oppenheimer SA Oaks, and in the first leg, the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas, she finished a 1,90 length fourth.
The Oaks can often take a lot out of fillies and Fiery Pegasus had a hard race on Saturday, but Soma managed to freshen the like of Got The Greenlight up after tough Joburg campaigns and he can do the same with this Greenacres Trust (nom: NM Shirtliff) and Hemel ‘N Aarde Stud-bred filly.
Owners Dayalan Chinsammy and friends are having the ride of their life at present and were all keen to have a word in the winners’ interview.
