Happy Go Lucky! Glen Hatt poses on Happy Forever.
Well done to Jockey Andrew Fortune, owner of the well supported favourite Happy Forever, winner of the third race this afternoon at Kenilworth. We know that jockeys are not allowed to punt on horses but if we allow them to hold colour privileges, what can be wrong with a declared flutter? Surely they are being encouraged to be devious?
The handsome son of Var cantering to post under regular Ramsden jockey Glen Hatt in the Fortune silks brought to mind a strange and low-key rule of a few years ago where the National Horseracing Authority permitted a jockey to have a punt on a horse that he owned and which he was riding. The wager was limited and prior authorisation, if our recollection is correct, had to be obtained from the trainer. The jockeys apparently never warmed to the dispensation and it died a quiet death a few years ago. So do we assume that they just don’t have a punt, and why encourage and allow them to own horses. What is the difference?
Happy Forever was the Western Cape Pick Six banker and the exotic kicked off in the third race where all the interest centred on the Joey Ramsden-trained chestnut. He was the talking horse and enjoyed support into 13-10. No doubt the public fascination around the first-timer could be attributed to the fact that he ran in the silks of the legendary bad-boy Andrew Fortune. He beat a moderate lot but the R550 000 son of Var never gave punters a moment of stress and Glen Hatt gave him his head to draw clear to win well. He is a big impressive specimen and looks to have plenty of scope.
Unheralded Higgins. The octagenarian has few peers.
Andrew Fortune’s son Aldo Domeyer was seen at his brilliant best when getting the underrated and inconsistent Captain Al gelding Heralds Bay up to collar the tearaway Isidingo in the final strides of the first leg of the jackpot, an MR 80 Handicap over 1000m. Isidingo had the services of a four-claimer and almost caught them napping. He would have been a twenty-time winner if we ran 900m races! Trainer Alan Higgins trains Heralds Bay for the Engelbrecht family and despite a small string of horses and being well into his eighties, has his fair share of winners.
No respect on the eve of Father’s Day! The young Domeyer scored a double when outgunning his Dad in the third leg of the jackpot, when riding the Lundy’s Liability gelding Grasp Your Destiny. Fortune looked to have it in the bag on Just Tiger for Rondeberg-based Yogas Govender , as he hit the front close home. The photo showed that the Bass horse had got up to win the MR 77 Handicap in the familiar Devine silks.
Earlier in the day the Second Empire colt Accelero made it two wins from two starts when he produced a good gallop to outrun his rivals, which included the highly-rated Final Button who chased him home. Accelero was bred by Juan Van Heerden’s Riverworld Stud and cost just R50 000 at Vintage. He is a half-brother to the smart Kom Naidoo trained sprinting filly, Purple Lake and he won this Juvenile Plate over 1200m with deceptive ease. His owners will be hoping that he trains on and maintains his opening form.
Prominent owners Marsh Shirtliff and Kas Naiken have both owned big horses over the years and Kambrook is no Pocket Power or Tourisimo. But they would have been happy to have pocketed the lion’s share of the stake cheque in the Simply Asia MR 96 Handicap over 1400m , as the shadows lengthened at a chilly Kenilworth. Their Jet Master gelding Kambrook came home under a powerful and vigorous Karl Neisius to hold off the grey Imperial Fox. The Jackpot paid a healthy R18 500 in the process largely thanks to Heralds Bay in the opening leg and the dubiously named filly Mary Hinge in the second leg.
Captain Al and Second Empire shared the sire honours on the day with two winners apiece. Just goes to show that one can shop anywhere for a winner.
