Well Weighted
Kenilworth 22nd April: A juvenile plate for the girls over 1000m was first up in Cape Town on Wednesday and here we saw a comfortable victory for the Eric Sands trained CHAMPERY. A fluent winner of her only previous outing, the daughter of Querari raced prominent throughout. She was ridden to lead going through the 300m and won well from her running on stable companion MY EMBLEM by two and a quarter.
The best bet on the card for many was AIR CHIEF MARSHAL in the maiden plate over 1600m and the son of Jet Master didn’t let down his supporters. Sent off a strong favourite at 22/10, Mike Bass’ charge was always positioned close to the speed. He put his head in front shortly after passing the 300m marker and just had enough in hand to hold off the running on COUNT DRACULA (came from the rear) by a neck.
Race five on the card was a MR84 Handicap for the girls over 1200m and here it was nice to see the very well weighted PURE POWER back in the winner’s enclosure. Racing off a mark some 20 points lower than that of her previous best here, the Captain Al filly was content to sit in the rear for most of the journey. She ran on best of all when the race began in earnest and won well by a length and a half from the favourite PERINI.
Titbits
MISTER MATCHETT completed a hat-trick when getting up late to win the MR94 Handicap over 1200m.
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7 From 10
Vaal 23rd April: They raced on the outside track at the Vaal on Thursday where five of the afternoon’s ten races were scheduled to be run over 1400m. Three of these were abandoned due to a severe electrical storm and the fastest of the other two was the MR92 Handicap won by the easy to back ZANZIBAR MAN. Freely available at 18/1 on the off, the Western Winter gelding raced in the backend of midfield early on. He ran on well from halfway and under a well-judged ride from Hennie Greyling he beat the more fancied FLAG OF FRANCE by a length and a quarter.
The faster of the two 1200m maiden plates was not surprisingly that in which the 105 rated JAYYED opened his account. Always deep in the red, Mike De Kock’s 3yo was soon up handy. He was ridden to lead as they approached the 300m pole and having to work a little bit harder than might have been expecting he beat the front running MASTER ‘N COMMANDER by a length and a half.
Quickest against the clock over 1600m was the lightly raced STAR OF LOVE when getting off the mark in the maiden plate. Allowed to ease out to 8/1 from 5’s at the track, Stanley Ferreira’s charge was a little slow into stride and as a result she raced in the rear early on. She cut through the field like a knife over the final 400m though and won going away by three.
Titbits
The Mike De Kock trained newcomer AL FARABI was always in command when winning the maiden plate for the girls over 1200m.
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Smart Juveniles
Fairview 24th April: No doubt fuelled by a change of jockey, the newcomer ORIENTAL TIGER was supported into odds on to win the opening maiden juvenile plate over 1000m in Port Elizabeth on Friday and he won in the style of a good sort. Soon up handy Yvette Bremner’s charge took up the running around halfway and cruised clear from there onwards to win very easily by six and a quarter.
Another to win as she liked was SHIRAZ CABERNET in the fillies’ maiden juvenile plate over 1200m. Allowed to ease out to 12/10 from 7/10 at the track, the daughter of Antonius Pius made all. She began to assert her authority shortly after passing halfway and won going away by seven and three quarters.
There were three races run over 1200m in total and surprisingly the fastest of these was the maiden plate won by the easy to back LINE OF FIRE. Always on offer at around 12/1 in the betting market, Dorrie Sham’s charge raced handy. He ran on stoutly at the business end of the race and in what proved to be a real thriller he only got the verdict on the nod over the well supported favourite PLAIN OF WISDOM (9/2 into 28/10).
Titbits
The Trippi gelding SIR DUKE extended his winning sequence to four when comfortably accounting for WAY CLEAR in the pinnacle stakes over 1400m.
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Bang On Target
Greyville 24th April: They raced on the poly track on Friday evening where four of the eight races were run over 1200m. The fastest of these was the MR72 Handicap won by MASTER ARCHER. Heavily supported into 33/10 second favourite from 8/1, Sean Tarry’s charge was soon positioned close to the speed. He ran on strongly in the short home straight and easily accounted for the 2/1 favourite HOLD THE LINE (op 14/10) by three and a quarter.
Another to win very comfortably on this card was ROY’S FOLLY in the opening maiden plate over 1200m. Always handy, Jeff Freedman’s charge took up the running 100m out and won well by two and a half.
The faster of the two 1400m races on the card was the bill topping MR92 Handicap won by MUMSY’S JET. The favourite CLASSY FIGHTER was the first to make a move and after striking the front 350m from home it looked for a while as if he would go on to score. The gutsy Western Winter gelding steadily reeled him in in the straight though and after a thrilling tussle over the final 150m he got the verdict by a short head.
Titbits
DYNASTIC ran on very well from the rear when only failing by a neck to land the MR77 Handicap over 1400m.
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Top speedratings for this weekend include:-
Fairview (fri)
Race 1: (1) Captain Broadhurst 24 (NAP*)
Race 2: (2) Patent Of Nobility 7
Race 3: (9) King Of The Deep 45
Race 4: (11) Galaxy Gold 45
Race 5: (9) Badger’s Trail 53
Race 6: (14) Winning Edge 51
Race 7: (10) Distiller 65
Race 8: (5) Hello Polly 46
Turffontein (sat)
Race 1: (1) Ashantee 12
Race 2: (1) Wandie’s 11
Race 3: (6) Global Myth 20
Race 4: (1) Rascality 11 (NAP*)
Race 5: (12) Battle Hammer 47
Race 6: (12) Devorah 41
Race 7: (15) Eusebius 57
Race 8: (1) Silver Matador 14
Greyville (sat)
Race 1: (7) Seek The Summit 9
Race 2: (9) King’s Knight 12
Race 3: (8) Watch The Winner 6
Race 4: (5) Ethylene 43
Race 5: (1) Inara 75 (NAP*)
Race 6: (2) Kingvoldt 80
Race 7: (2) King Of Pain 96
Race 8: (7) Rocky Bay 51
Race 9: (7) Killarney House 20
Kenilworth (sun)
Race 1: (3) In Full Regalia 20
Race 2: (4) Jane S Piddy 13
Race 3: (10) Rebel’s Idol 9
Race 4: (2) Black Tractor 24
Race 5: (2) Castlethorpe 84
Race 6: (11) Royal Trump 50
Race 7: (2) Moonsong Magic 65
Race 8: (1) Act Of War 82 (NAP**)
Race 9: (10) Count My Luck 53
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Top rated winners last week included
Pure Power won 16/1
Lady Kelpie won 12/1
Western Storm won 11/2
Tamaanee won 18/10
Shiraz Cabernet won 12/10
Air Chief Marshal won 1/1
Eros’s Girl won 13/20
Jayyed won 1/4
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Notebook:-
Champery (A Sands, W-Cape)
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FASTEST TIMES
The number of races run over each distance is shown in brackets
*Denotes – Times taken by Clockwatcher
Kenilworth (new) 22nd April
Penetrometer 20 – Going Good
1000m (2) Champery 59,96
1200m (4) Mister Matchett 72,46
1600m (1) Air Chief Marshal 100,76
2000m (1) Mango Moon 128,18
Vaal (outside) 23rd April
Penetrometer 23 – Going Good
1000m (1) Twilight Tiger 58,44
1200m (2) Jayyed 71,45
1400m (2) Zanzibar Man 82,46
1600m (2) Star Of Love 98,19
Fairview (turf) 24th April
Going G/Soft
1000m (2) Insearchofthesun 57,23
1200m (3) Line Of Fire 70,75
1400m (1) Sir Duke 84,50
2000m (2) Savethelastdance126,65
2700m (1) Crown Of Gold 178,20
Greyville (poly) 24th April
Going Standard
1200m (4) Master Archer 70,29
1400m (2) Mumsy’s Jet 81,84
1600m (1) Eight Stories 96,65
1900m (1) Mamasita 115,99
