Summerveld trainer Kumaran Naidoo enjoyed a rewarding afternoon at Flamingo Park on Saturday. He brought the Golden Sword gelding Sabre Charge to town for his first start in the Diamond City and the Summerhill-bred 4yo duly opened his feature account.
Lyle Hewitson gets Sabre Charge up to beat the obscured Border Hopper (Pic – JC Photos)
The R110 000 Diamond Stayers attracted a field of 14 longhaulers over the longest distance on the sand track – 2200m. Sabre Charge was the highest rated galloper in the race by a comfortable margin and he duly arrived as a 2 to 1 favourite.
With Emblem Honour wrecking his chances at the start, it was Natsuba and Bold Man who led the filly Sea Bean, ahead of Klondike River and Dr Finlay. SA champion apprentice Lyle Hewitson had Sabre Charge relaxed in midfield about 5 lengths off.
Gunter Wrogemann wasn’t happy with the pedestrian gallop and he took Border Hopper around his field and upped the ante about halfway. From that point, the race became more serious and into the home run, Border Hopper looked to be going very well as he was challenged by Sea Bean.
Hewitson had Sabre Charge picking up the gallop and the gelding moved up without any major urgency at the 300m.
It was only when Border Hopper and Sabre Charge faced each other that they both dug deeper.
The duo went to the line with Sabre Charge holding on the better under a determined Lyle Hewitson to score by a neck in a time of 150,55 secs.
The 100 to 1 Perfectus flew late to get third a further 3 lengths back. Bill Human’s 4yo Philanthropist filly Sea Bean was not disgraced amongst the males and was a half length back in fourth.
The Summerhill Stud-bred winner is a R200 000 National Yearling Sale purchase and he took his stakes tally to R183 075 at his third win (his previous wins were over 2400m on turf)with 2 places from 12 starts.
A son of Golden Sword (High Chaparral), Sabre Charge is out of the two-time winner Fuselage (Jet Master).
Sabre Charge races in the interests of Alesh Naidoo’s The Fire Racing Trust.
