Things definitely didn’t go the way of the ‘People’s Horse’ Kommetdieding in Saturday’s R500 000 World Sports Betting Gr2 Green Point Stakes at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. Hemmed to the inside, and left with no cover at a crucial stage, the exciting future Klawervlei stallion was left to play third fiddle to an astute bit of thinking riding by the top-class Aldo Domeyer.
Racing for the first time in a partnership of the Kommetdieding Syndicate and Ashwin Reynolds, Kommetdieding was expected to go one better after his dazzling low-flying second in the 1200m Bantry Bay Stakes on his eyecatching season debut three weeks earlier.
But on a day where the trend was to swing out to the outside rail on the long summer course run-in, Gavin Lerena and Kommetdieding found themselves exposed to the elements in no man’s land, after Rascallion and Corne Orffer had determinedly stuck to their guns for an inside run.
Aldo Domeyer drives Trip Of Fortune to a good win (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
This created a golden opportunity for Aldo Domeyer on the fit as a fiddle Trip Of Fortune (16-1), who bounced clear hard against the steel up the outside rail to beat the revitalised Universal (14-1) by 1,50 lengths in a time of 99,17 secs.
The 28-10 favourite Kommetdieding ran his heart out to be beaten a nose into third.
While her legendary Dad Mike won the race three times with Pocket Power over a decade ago, it was a first victory in the traditional L’Ormarins King’s Plate /Cape Town Met stepping stone for Milnerton trainer Candice Bass-Robinson.
Jockey Aldo Domeyer said that after Trip Of Fortune’s decent, albeit slightly off-colour last effort in the Bantry Bay Stakes, where he ran just under a length off Kommetdieding, the addition of the tongue tie had proven the answer.
“I have never felt him better – this is shades of the promise he showed as a 3yo. He never really used to see the mile out and couldn’t really use his turn of foot over the trip. If he can improve a fraction more, there could be some nice races in the future,” added Domeyer.
Candice Bass-Robinson said that Trip Of Fortune was breathing heavily after his last run so she decided on a tongue tie.
“He is really very deserving of this win. If we can keep him in this shape, we could enjoy some decent races going forward,” she added.
Owner Gaynor Rupert complimented the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth host and said it was the best racecourse in the world and showing its true colours. She also had a word of advice for the Stipes to punish dangerous riding, in a reference to the incident which affected Trip Of Fortune in the WSB Cape Guineas of 2021.
A son of the superb End Sweep stallion Trippi, Trip Of Fortune is out of the versatile ten-time winning Doowaley mare, Louvre. He is bred and owned by Drakenstein, and is registered as a R750 000 National Yearling Sale graduate.
A multiple stakes winner, Trip Of Fortune has now won 7 races with 3 places from 13 starts for stakes of R868 250.
With Kommetdieding running third, this result knocked the Bipot out of the ball park, with the top two exotic paying a handsome R 30 635 -40!
