Winchester Mansion winning the Hollywoodbets Durban July (Picture: Liesl King)
The Brett Crawford-trained Hollywoodbets Durban July hero Winchester Mansion has had two grass gallops and will run in the Gr 2 Allied Steelrode On A Mission Charity Mile on his way to the Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup.
He was given a break after his July heroics, but Crawford is not concerned about the Summer Cup coming too soon.
He said, “He’s doing fine and we’ve been happy with his progress so far. Luckily I think he is quite a versatile type of a horse. He’s had the two grass gallops and he’ll have a run. After that we’ll see. But he’s going well and I’m not too concerned (about the Summer Cup coming too soon). I think he will be fine.”
The Trippi gelding won the July off a 112 merit rating, although he was half-a-kilogram under sufferance, and he was raised nine points to 121.
So it will be tougher this time, but he has become particularly progressive since gelding, finishing second in a comeback from a layoff and then reeling off two impressive victories including in the big one, the July.
Crawford said, “He’s a five-year-old now, so he should be strong enough. It’s just a question of him making further progress , which I actually think he will do.”
The yard has four Summer Cup entries, the other three being 118 rated Billy Bowlegs, 101 rated Crimson King and 98 rated Solar Power.
Four-year-old The United States colt Billy Bowlegs was bought at the BSA September Online Sale for R1,760,000 and is now owned by Messrs T Gujadhur, J F & L M F Wernars & Nick & Val McFall.
He had his first run for the Crawford yard last Saturday, having not run since finishing a 7,10 length eleventh in the July.
He finished 9 lengths back in a Pinnacle event over 1600m.
However, Brett said, “We always knew he was going to need it, coming off a break and his vaccines etc. I would have liked him to have run a bit closer but he did need it badly and the grass facilities at Randjes have only just opened. He should come on nicely and he will run in the Victory Moon and then in the Summer Cup.