Smooth Win! King Neptune is guided home by Keagan De Melo to win the Listed Michaelmas Handicap
The Cataloochee gelding King Neptune overwhelmed his eleven opponents to win the R135 000 Listed Michaelmas Handicap at Greyville on Friday evening. The lightly raced 5yo registered his first stakes win in fine style.
Dennis Drier and Keagan De Melo teamed up to provide the fireworks with the generously priced 8 to 1 shot, who won despite being in marginally under sufferance.
After the stayer Scoop The Pool had cut out a solid gallop, De Melo guided King Neptune down the inside rail as they came for home.
With the field spread out with chances to many, King Neptune asserted his authority and it was clear from the 300m marker, that he would not be beaten.
King Neptune galloped on relentlessly to win by 2,25 lengths in a time of 120,47 secs.
The disappointing Sage Throne finally lifted his game, and ran on powerfully for second place to shade topweight and Gr1 winner Gold Onyx, who felt his impost in the final 100m.
The consistent Concatenation blotted his copybook and plodded into fifth, albeit only 2,60 lengths off the winner.
Roman Wall was in the firing line, but once again showed little heart when it counted and fell away to finish ninth.
Parker, who blew in the betting, was right up there but faded to finish second last. He is another who appears quite limited.
King Neptune was bred by Bush Hill Stud and is by Cataloochee out of the unraced Muhtafal mare, Plutonium.
He is a R200 000 National Yearling Sale graduate and took his stake earnings with this win to R346 050.
King Neptune has an exemplary career track record of 4 wins and 10 places from 16 runs, and could go on to better things in the KZN season.
