Star Major is pictured winning the Gr 1 Daily News 2000
In some unfortunate news for racings fans and especially for the owners of last season’s Equus Champion Three-year-old male, Star Major, trainer James Crawford has revealed the Querari colt will not be taking part in the Cape Summer Festival Of Racing.
James said about the Gr 2 WSB Guineas and Gr 1 Daily News 2000 winner, “He had a setback before the Hollywoodbets Durban July and he is not where he will need to be for the Cape Summer Season.”
There is plenty still to be cheerful about for the Crawford yard though and for three of Star Major’s part-owners Ravi Naidoo, Neville Isdell and Jonathan Bloch.
Not least of it was the cracking effort by the Crawford-trained Greg and Gina Bortz-owned seven-year-old Flower Alley gelding Otto Luyken in the Gr 2 Allied Steelrode-Onamission Mile over 1600m at Turffontein Standside on Saturday.
The big horse sat in the box seat in the running and stayed on extremely well under JP van der Merwe for a 0,55 length third to Zeitz, just a shorthead behind second-placed Cosmic Speed.
Both of the former pair were running over their probable optimum trip, whereas Otto Luyken will relish the step up to 2000m for his next race, the Gr 1 R6 million Betway Summer Cup.
Otto Luyken is being prepared for the latter race out of Summerveld, where he is being taken care of by Adam Azzie.
Otto Luyken relished the return to the galloping course, Turffontein Standside. He won there early in his career when trained by Tyrone Zackey before being bought by the Bortz’s.
James said about Saturday’s race, “He ran such a good race. It is a pity Zinovi faded so early in the straight, because if he pulls us through for another 50 to 100 metres I think it becomes a different result. Also if Choisaanada doesn’t challenge us so early in the straight I also think it’s a different result. He challenged us at about the 450m mark and runs out of juice and finishes 4,5 lengths behind us and we only got beaten half-a-length.”
Otto Luyken’s Summer Cup last year was all wrong as was the case with a number of runners, but he is proven over middle distances and was the winner of last year’s Gr 3 July consolation race over 2200m.
James also has hope for his three-year-olds and said the pecking order would start to become more apparent in the next few weeks.
At present he is pleased to see some formlines working out nicely for a couple of his best three-year-old fillies.
He said, “It was nice to see Shezaripper’s formline being franked with Kalahari King winning the Gr 3 Cape Classic. We beat him by 3,25 lengths in the Gr 3 Winter Nursery over 1100m and he won the Classic by 3,50 lengths and did it comfortably. So that is a good formline for her to take into Saturday’s Gr 2 Western Cape Filllies Championship (1400m).”
He added, “At Turffontein on Saturday the formline of Royal Tiara was franked when Alice B Toklas won the Gr 3 TAB Starling Stakes (1400m).”
Royal Tiara beat Alice B Toklas in last season’s Gr 1 Douglas Whyte Thekwini Stakes when finishing third, 0,25 lengths clear of the latter.
James concluded, “So it is looking positive for the young fillies ahead of the season, by the look of things.”
Ravi Naidoo, Neville Isdell and Jonathan Bloch also have plenty to still look forward to.
After the promising three-year-old Gimmethegreenlight colt Running Shoes was taken out by stablemate Impose close to home over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday, Ravi said on behalf of himself and Neville, “The good news is we have a racehorse here.”
Running Shoes might have won without the interference, but as it happened he lifted himself in impressive fashion after having to be snatched up and surged late for a two length second. He is a half-brother to Gr 2 winner Zapatillas (Master Of My Fate) and a full-brother to the Graded performer Shoemaker and also a half-brother to last week’s eyecatching winner at the Vaal Onetwobucklemyshoe (Master Of My Fate).
Ravi added, “We are very excited too about Wild And Free .. what a run in the Graham Beck Stakes … the sectionals will tell the full story.”
The Sean Tarry-trained three-year-old The United States gelding is owned by a Gaynor Rupert-managed syndicate Ravi and Neville both belong too, L’Ormarins and Friends, and from draw 15 of 16 he was dropped out to last before running on strongly down the inside rail under Serino Moodley for a 2,25 length second.
Of course Jonathan Bloch also owns Note To Self and Wish List, who need no introduction, so he has an exciting Summer Season to look forward to.
For the other part-owner of Star Major, Prakashni Pillay, the wait will be longer as she is not a prolific owner and Star Major’s sidelining would also have been bad news for his regular jockey Mickaelle Michel.
