Bay Of Gibraltar – handy weight and favourable draw bring him into the reckoning
The Northern Cape city of Kimberley comes alive for a unique Saturday afternoon race-meeting this weekend. The Recall Security Mile heads a bumper programme and all of the Phumelela racing centres are represented in what should be a fascinating clash of the sand titans
It is pleasing to see trainers from as far afield as Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg warming to the challenge of a carnival sand spat and some attractive stakes on offer. It’s a weekend that should be characterised by braaivleis, camaraderie, sunny skies and well, plenty of refreshments and a whole lot of sand.
There is every indication that the meeting will attract one of the biggest on-course crowds seen at Flamingo Park in many a moon and hats off to Phumelela for thinking out of the box and doing something different on a rather tiredly predictable weekly menu.
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Tough Puzzle
Fourteen runners go to post for this non-black type race and with many of the better horses drawn badly, an upset result is a very real possibility. The conditions and lack of collateral form also makes the puzzle more complex. It may pay to side with the proven locals.
African Vision is a local hero and this 11 time winning son of Rabah is now trained by Tara Laing following the tragic passing of Shaun Miller.
African Vision is fit and well and won his last start from a good draw beating Watch The Sunset by 1,50 lengths over the 1400m. He has to contend with a 14 draw here but is the sort than can be settled and runs on well.
Stuart Pettigrew brings The Plunderer down from Gauteng and Francois Herholdt rides this talented Spectrum gelding from a good draw with a handy galloping weight of 52,5kgs. His two starts on the Vaal sand were too quick for him (both were over 1200m) and he may well be the dark horse here. He certainly has top-class ability.
Sherman Brown and trainer Vernon Rugg are a lethal combination, but weight considerations have forced the talented jockey to throw a leg over Bill Human’s Mahogany . This powerful 6yo Silvano gelding who has one win on the Vaal sand to his credit, has run three fair races in his new Kimberley base recently . He caught the eye at his last outing when running third 3,75 lengths off African Vision at level weights after being baulked.
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Human Being
Human also sends out the Cataloochee entire Richinstyle, who carries a paper weight of 49,5 kgs for the services of apprentice Lembethe. He has drawn poorly and lost his form of late, but must be considered for the quartets.
Vernon Rugg has engaged Randall Simons for the Newton gelding Night Landing, who carries 52kgs from an 8 draw. This horse looked quite promising at one stage and has won 4 from 16 starts. He likes to race handy but will have to lift his game a notch or two to feature in this line-up.
Cliffie Miller and local Kimberley champion jockey Marco Van Rensburg partner up with the Fort Wood gelding Draw Bridge, who has not drawn well and has run two moderate places in his recet two starts here. He should battle.
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Big Gun
The Prinsloo coupling of Cannonball and the former Jooste owned Dream Big are both hard knockers and should be included in Pick 6 bets.
Cannonball has drawn widest out but the Lavery gelding has continued to surprise and up the ante, having won 3 of his last 7 races.
Dream Big won his last start, a course and distance affair, when finishing strongly to beat Night Landing by a half-length. If reproducing his best, he should run into the money.
The Steenkamp/ Sham partnership travel up from the coast with a coupling of the talented 1400m specialist Tic Tak Toe who jumps from the best draw, and the rather optimistic entry of the speedy Bob ‘N Weave.
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Sticky
Tic Tak Toe is an eight-time winner on turf and his one effort in August 2011 on the Flamingo Park surface was not a disgrace. He was beaten 3,50 lengths at level weights by the capable Little Master and he could be a serious threat if staying the mile on the sand.
Bob ‘N Weave is one of the best sprinters in the Eastern Cape and he has a good second to his credit on very soft going over 1400m behind Tic Tak Toe. That may show that he could well enjoy the sand, but it is difficult to guage whether he will stay the mile with his natural speed.
The lightly weighted Bay Of Gibraltar has changed ownership and now races out of the Steven Moffatt yard.This well bred gelding (he cost over R3 million rand as a yearling) has been a regular earner on the Kimberley sand and while he has lost form recently, it would be reckless to ignore him.
He jumps from a nice draw and this will allow Ewert Pheiffer to ride him with restraint as opposed to being chased up onto the pace – a tactic he appears not to enjoy.
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Law Of The Land
Kom Naidoo’s Caryl’s Law is lightly weighted and is a two –time winner on the Vaal sand. He has his first run on the Flamingo sand and is well-weighted and well-drawn with the services of Nuresh Juglall, who knows him well.
A tough contest which should provide the usual thrills and spills associated with the Flamingo Park battlefield. Except this is Saturday and pools should rocket as pay-day is a matter of days away.
We suggest African Vision could be strong enough to hold The Plunderer and Mahogany. But the race is open with improvement likely in certain quarters. Enjoy the party if you are making the trip.
