Greyville followed the style set by Scottsville, staging three Grade One races on Rothmans July Day.
The first of the three, the Garden Province Stakes, ended in a blanket finish, with the Sleek Gold filly Sleek Wine prevailing by less than a length from Power Filly and Miss Averof.
Dennis Drier – saddled 1992 Rothmans Durban July winner Spanish Galliard (Pic – Supplied)
The latter had come from her customary position at the tail-end of the field and only just failed.
The winner had been purchased by her trainer out of a claiming race for R4 000 four runs earlier, and started at 20/1. Sleek Wine has now earned R128 000 for her new stable.
The result of the second of the race-trio wasn’t any less of a surprise, the winner again starting at 20/1.
Del Sarto gelding This England narrowly defeats Cape challenger Recognition, whose stable companion Court Messenger ran fourth.
The race was run at a muddling pace early on, and the result seemed unlikely to be reliable. Race favourite Take A Walk wasn’t suited by the pace at all, and ran unplaced.
The pace was quite a different story in the Rothmans July, where Millard’s Surfing Home set off at a cracking gallop.
That fast pace sorted the men from the boys at the business end of the race, where Military Muse failed to stay after looking the winner a furlong out.
Greyville Old Stand as it was back in the day (Pic – Supplied)
The Dennis Drier-trained big-race bridesmaid Spanish Galliard finally got his act together and won from fast finisher Eastbrook and the game Olympic Duel.
Fourth place was shared by Military Muse and long-time leader Surfing Home. The latter was a young imported three-year-old, of giant proportions.
July favourite Secret Rites, ridden by Hong Kong champion Basil Marcus, finished last, reportedly lame. The horse’s defeat also interrupted the sequence of winning July tips for Daily News ‘big race ace’, Stewart Ramsay.
