A great. Dynasty is making his mark as a stallion.
Emerging stallion Dynasty followed up on his double at Durbanville yesterday with a smart winner in the first race at Scottsville on 21 July. He is lying at thirteenth position in terms of stake earnings on the national sire log, and the merit of this performance is put into perspective by the fact that he has had only half as many runners as most of his major competitors.
Dynasty was SA Horse Of The Year in 2003 and won an incredible four Gr1 and three Gr2 races from twelve starts. He was a brilliantly talented son of Fort Wood, who was labelled ‘the best racehorse in South Africa’ by internationally acclaimed jockey Robbie Fradd, who had just won his first start on him as a two year old. He was leading second-crop sire in 2010 and has already made his mark on our breeding and racing. His influence can only grow as his daughters make their way to the paddocks and, very importantly, his progeny still represent great value for money and possess the important elements of integrity and heart.
Dynasty’s winner Happy Heart was the first leg of a treble for Summerveld trainer Dennis Drier, who welcomed his stable jockey Alec Forbes back after an injury enforced break, by providing him with an armchair ride, or ‘pointer’ as the jockey modestly called it. Forbes, who only took three rides on the day to ease himself back into the rigours of race-riding, was really just a passenger as the Highlands bred filly waltzed home. It was her third start, and she is the first horse trained by Drier for leading Cape owner Hassen Adams. She beat her stablemate Way Above by a comfortable margin and looks a promising sort. She cost R120 000 and gets her natural speed from her dam Burning Tartan, a daughter of Harry Hotspur.
The champion jockey duel only got under way in the third race where Tony Rivalland’s Beast Of Burden with Delpech up got the better of Anton Marcus, on the favourite Lizard’s Passion, after a very brief sparring session halfway down the straight. The Rivalland gelding had the blinkers removed on the suggestion of the top rider, after hanging badly and overracing at his previous start. Delpech said the Beast felt like a ‘different horse’ and he had hit the front at the top of the straight after the pacemaker Khaba had gone too slowly early. As for Lizard’s Passion, he appears to be something of a brass. He has once again proven expensive to follow and was twitching his ears and looking all over the track in the final 250m. He has earned a cheque at every run, but if Anton Marcus can’t win on him after two attempts, then trainer Yogas Govender is going to have to go back to the drawing board and try something different.
Dizzy! Felix Coetzee pilots Viking Lizzy to an overdue win.
After enduring five meetings without a winner, Jockey Felix Coetzee was seen at his brilliant best when getting Viking Lizzy up in the final strides to win the MR 74 Handicap over 1950m. The start was briefly delayed by the bizarre presence of a child on the inside of the track! Viking Lizzy denied Anton Marcus on the fancied Badge Of Choice, who had looked a winner 100m from home. The Western Winter gelding, Zizou, had led throughout and had kicked clear, only to be nabbed late. In rather uncharacteristic fashion, and in a deviation from his normal training style, the Michael Roberts trained Zizou was having his second start in less than 48 hours and had only failed narrowly at Greyville on Tuesday evening. Lizzy was a first winner for Yogas Govender’s new Assistant Therese Mitchley, who is better know as Charles Laird’s sister. Mitchley has been with the yard for about five weeks and would have welcomed the change of fortune as she also celebrates her 50th birthday on Saturday.
Stuart Randolph recorded his second winner of his treble on the day and he showed that he can ride with the best of them! He kept the Deon Visser- trained Hold The Gold on the job to win the second leg of the jackpot, an MR 91 Handicap over 1950m. The promising Ryan Curling did almost everything right to get the Lafferty filly Saltwater Girl home and astute punters would have noted that the six year old mare ran within six lengths of Fort Vogue on July day. That was strong form and she was a little unlucky not to record her seventh win.
Scottsville hat-trick! Stuart Randolph was the top jockey on the day.
Anton Marcus kept Delpech on his toes with a smart win and the second for the Govender yard when he won the penultimate on the smart Jet Master gelding Buragh who could well be more competitive as he gets older. He beat four rivals in the MR 95 Handicap over 1200m. The on-song Stuart Randolph closed off the day on a high for Dennis Drier when he got Wild Ginger to stay on to win the Fillies and mares Maiden Plate over 1400m. The daughter of Kabool has been a model of consistency and beat the flying Lady Tamara. Marcus ran into fourth on the fancied Detectorist, much to the chagrin of many thousands of PA punters.
