Bezanova (Anton Marcus) gets up to beat Wild One and Top Rank
Trainer Alec Laird won his second KZN Breeders Million Mile in three years when Anton Marcus produced the Bezrin gelding Bezanova at the right moment to win the topliner on the well patronised KZN Breeders’ raceday at Greyville on Sunday. The feature finish was a dramatic one, with the winner appearing to hang in on to the challenging Wild One and Gauteng challenger,Top Rank.
The KZN Breeders’ Day is proving to be a real winner all round and is an exciting and unique concept that provides well deserved incentives for loyal patrons.
Besides the big money turf feature, there were also eight supporting races on the Greyville polytrack (for the first time) carrying a stake of R200 000 each, and restricted to horses that qualify as KZN-breds.
One aspect that may warrant attention is the weight structure – the final race on the programme hosting nine of the twelve runners carrying just 50kgs. There are surely just not sufficient preferred lightweighted riders to choose from – and the proliferation of paperweights could also make for potentially falsely run races, at times.
Historically the feature, formerly known as the KZN Breeders 1600, was always run a week before the July and underwent a name change to the KZN Breeders Million Mile in 2012, with the stake rocketing four-fold.
It’s timing is perfectly linked to this week’s Suncoast KZN Yearling Sale.
Gauteng trainers have done well in the feature and after Sunday’s success have won three of the four runnings.
A mixed bunch of twelve candidates lined up with last year’s winner No Worries fancied to chase the recent Gold Challenge third-placed Bezanova home.
Keagan De Melo took No Worries out to lead King Of Torts and Front Rank, with Bezanova caught wide for much of the journey after jumping from the 11 gate.
Into the straight, Front Rank came forward powerfully as Marcus angled Bezanova out for his run, with Wild One weaving his way through traffic.
The three came together wIth Bezanova looking for company(he was turning his head awakwardly down the straight).
In the drive to the wire, Bezanova stayed on to beat the flying Wild One by 0,25 lengths in a time of 98,63 secs, with Tyrone Zackey’s Top Rank running a cracker in third.
A race review was called, but no further action was taken.
Julia Pringle leads the winner in as the Laird team celebrate a fine victory
While Bezanova’s inward movement patently impacted on both Wild One and, to a lesser degree, Top Rank, and the winning margin was a narrow one, it is possible that the proximity of the impact to the winning line, may have counted in favour of the ‘no further action’ verdict.
There may be varying schools of thought and doubtless Anthony Delpech had the opportunity to lodge an objection.
Wild One is shaping up as a terrific Gold Cup prospect with his second outstanding prep run in weeks, after almost upsetting July candidate Punta Arenas in the Cup Trial, in his first start in close on a year.
Trainer Alec Laird won this race in 2013 with the Mullins Bay gelding, Gitiano, but was not on course and assistant Julia Pringle stood in for him.
She said that it was a nice race to win (that goes without saying at the stakes level) and paid tribute to a great team effort
Jockey Anton Marcus was his usual effective and professional self and confirmed that he had no real options from his wide draw.
“He looked to give it up late on but won a good race,” he said.
The Gr2 Charity Mile winning Bezanova has won 5 races with 6 places from his 20 starts and took his earnings to R1 613 975 after his biggest career payday.
A R150 000 National Two Year Old Sale graduate, he was bred by Clifton Stud and is by the now Cape-based Bezrin out of the three-time winning London News mare, Ananova.
Well done to the KZN Breeders!
