The officially best weighted runner That’s My Baby loves Hollywoodbets Greyville and was the easy winner of the ultra strong ANITA AKAL – CELEBRATING 55 YEARS A STAKES race there over 1400m on Friday night 28 August. The much vaunted colt Esteemed started odds-on favourite, but ran a disappointing fifth. He was reported to have made a respiratory noise (Julia Marnewick)
Andrew Harrison’s report on Sunday’s Hollywoodbets Scottsville meeting and Friday night’s Hollywoodbets Greyville meeting
Odds-on favourite Bello Gallico lived up to his billing in the first at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Friday evening. Deep in the red before the off, he was all over the place in the running, but when asked for an effort by Chad Little, Glen Kotzen’s charge rocketed away to win as he liked. He appears to be a little better than your average maiden and definitely one for the notebook.
It was back to the drawing boards for Mike and Mathew de Kock as the highly touted Esteemed turned in a tame performance to finish out of the money in the A Stakes that headed the card.
Always handy as expected front runner Go Grayson Go set a brisk early gallop, the odds-on favourite never got going. First time under lights, first time around the turn, who knows, but it was not a run that will inspire any future performances.
It was left to the De Kock’s other runner Greaterix to chase home Sean Tarry’s lightly weighted mare That’s My Baby to cap a three-timer for apprentice Anaas Mosaheb who had earlier scored on Galactic Beauty for Kom Naidoo and Hurricane Flight for Doug Campbell. He came close to a four-timer as Richard Fourie and The Swan Song got the better of Mosaheb and Grand Appeal in the seventh.
Louis Goosen is one of the genuine characters of racing in this country. He only got his first Gr1 win at the end of last season after decades of trying when Eric Dubois landed the Gr1 World Pool Moment of the Day Premiers Champions Stakes but he is just more than a racehorse trainer.
He is a deep thinker of the sport and always willing to impart his experience to those that are making their way. Behind the scenes he mentors the apprentices of the South African Jockey Academy and has been responsible for the first winners for Qiniso Ngcobo and now Shalton E Sesingi, the pair finishing first and second on the Goosen-trained pair of Smorgasbord and Donquerari in the Middle Stakes that headed the Hollywoodbets Scottsville card on Sunday.
The well regarded Exocet was the horse on most punter’s radar and he started favourite but his year-long lay-off recovering from a fractured canon bone told over the final furlong. He showed plenty of pace but came up empty when the pressure was on and the race should bring him on lengths. Not one to write off in a hurry.
Smorgasbord, eight years old, and Donquerari, seven years old, dominated the finish with Smorgasbord getting up late to deny his stable companion. But as Goosen pointed out post-race, ‘weight stops trains,’ in racing no matter how good you are. Both of his charges were getting lumps of weight from the more fancied and better performed opposition and it told in the finish with fourth-placed Vihaan’s Web, giving Smorgasbord 17 kg. Enough said!
It is the time of the year in KZN when trainers with a stable of lessor lights come to the fore. Smorgasbord was an eight-year-old and next up in the D Stakes, Tienie Prinsloo’s grey Global Movement got the better of the year-younger Kimball O’Hara in a driving finish. Both have been dropping steadily in the ratings to where they are more competitive and retirement to a riding stable cannot be far off for either if the programme offers up another opportunity.
Nicholas Patel made the most of his luck as he got French War Lord home in the first. Lightly raced, MJ Odendaal’s charge improved nicely to win but One Pepper had to navigate traffic which may have cost him the race. My China is a strapping son of largely ignored stallion Horizon but the gelding is one for the notebook.
Sabine Plattner is a dream owner as she never seems to pressure her trainers. Four, five, six and even seven-year-olds with very little milage on the clock are given their chances and although Theleia and Run Forest Run are not prime examples being four and five year-olds, both were only having their eighth starts.
Not all owners can afford to be this patient but both horses are paying their way.
Stepping a horse up from a sprint to a mile is not always easy for punters to work out and there were a number of them stepping up in the first leg of the Pick 6. Those punters that waited before placing their bets were rewarded as all the money for Reign Man proved to be on the mark. Calvin Habib, deputizing for an injured Rachel Venniker, rode a confident race and the result was never in doubt as Reign Man strode clear early and won well.
Rags To Riches rounded off the meeting as Cole Dicken got Gary Rich’s filly home in fine style. An interesting story that makes this sport what it is, is that Gary trained the mare Connect Me. In spite of her multiple wins, there were no takers and she sold for a paltry R5000 as a broodmare. She has since produced two winners and the ‘rags to riches’ tag is fitting.
