MJ Byleveld keeps Surruptitious at his task to win the Kenilworth topliner (Bay Media)
Noordhoek trainer Mike Stewart and jockey MJ Byleveld combined to produce the winner of the joint topliner on the Kenilworth Saturday programme when the Overlord gelding Surruptitious led all the way to beat the improving Titus with relative ease. The fancied Johnny Rockets produced a rare flat effort and ran a tame fourth.
Only six horses went to post for the 1800m event and in a rather rare occurrence, Justin Snaith’s trio finished in the bottom half of the field.
In a well judged race, MJ Byleveld kept Surruptitious going all the way to beat Titus by 1,50 lengths in a time of 117,23 secs.
The Mike Bass-trained Titus was the only horse kicking on behind the winner.
The Stan Elley-trained Big Cat got tired late after his ten week break and stayed on for third, without threatening.
Johnny Rockets was taken in and then switched out by Bernard Fayd’herbe, but after having plenty of galloping room, he failed to kick inside the 200m and ran a weak fourth, 2,75 lengths behind Big Cat.
Surruptitious is owned by Fred Crabbia and was bred by Scott Bro’s. He is by Overlord out of the one- time winning Secret Prospector mare, Queen’s Right.
He cost R140 000 on the National 2yo Sale and took his stake earnings to R306 575, with 5 wins and 8 places from his 23 starts.
Byleveld was to the fore again in the other ‘feature’ when the inconsistent 8 to 1 shot The West Is Wide rocketed clear of the opposition to win the MR 96 Handicap run over 1200m to register his sixth win from 21 starts.
The 9 to 10 favourite Twentymanjones disappointed again, while Cap Alright never showed and ran out of puff to run fourth.
But the star of the day was the vastly matured Teetan, who rode the first three winners on the card.
Interestingly, his first two winners were on lesser fancied stable companions.
In the first race he piloted the Jay Peg first timer Uncle Jim to a good win in the bang in-form Jane and Ken Truter silks.
His more fancied stablemate Say So Tiger, in the hands of Karl Neisius, could do no better than finish third. He ran just behind the pacy and improved Flying Welshman, who cost himself (and a few others) by drifting to the outside under pressure in the final stages.
In the second race, Teetan rode the lesser fancied of the Brett Crawford runners.
Karis Teetan returns to Hong Kong on a high
He had the Irish-bred mare Saint Mary in the Wilgerbosdrift silks striding freely out front on her debut and she kicked again to hold off the late attentions of Shakespear’s Lady.
The winner’s stablemate Heliane went off at 9 to 10 under Corne Orffer and only just squeaked into the PA.
She had run on strongly from lengths back under Brandon Morgenrrood on an unfancied debut, but was far more prominent here and failed to produce the same kick.
Teetan won the third race on the fancied Castle for Justin Snaith. The gelding runs in the Eddie Powell green and black flag
The son of Lundy’s Liability showed his appreciation for the ground to get up and beat Even So, with the third placed Exclusive Knight giving Aldo Domeyer a difficult ride in third.
Bernard Fayd’herbe rode the first of his two Ramsden winners when he got the beautiful American bred Lebombo Breeze up to win the fifth race at her third start.
Fayd’herbe gave the 4yo a good few smacks as she accelerated to get up and beat the luckless Shingle Beach, who may well be better off earning place money in the maidens.
In the final race of the day, Fayd’herbe registered his hat-trick as he produced African Fish Eagle for Mike Bass to catch and beat the free striding Roaring Wind in the final 100m of the MR 73 Handicap run over 1200m.
The tote favourite Zinnavar never showed and confirmed his trainer’s concerns about his carrying weight against hard-knocking older horses.
What looked like a straightforward day with small fields and some well fancied runners produced a Pick 6 dividend of R213 058-90 in the end.
Cape racing in winter is not for the weak of heart!
