Trainer Louis Goosen dominated the finish of the R150 000 Listed Hampton Handicap at the Vaal on Saturday, with the slow starting Doing It For Dan powering home late to capitalise on a frenetic pace and beat his star stablemate, Trip Tease
Superstar sand sprinter Trip Tease lumbers a trainstopping 63,5kgs as he goes to post for the R150 000 Listed Hampton Handicap at the Vaal today
There is little doubt that Trip Tease rates right at the top of the class on the sand 1000m and there aren’t too many horses we could think of that could go with him. Sure, the year younger Precursor ran the Sophomore 1000 in 0,18 secs faster earlier on but Trip Tease carried 2,5kgs more and was never pressed for an effort by Deon Sampson.
“Stevie Wonder could have handicapped that race correctly and my horse ran second and was obviously the line horse. His form tells the story – consistent and always there. But no, in their wisdom they decided on the third placed Salute The Sun as the line horse. So everything in front of him had to be penalised…”
KwaZulu-Natal trainer Kumaran Naidoo celebrated a terrific trifecta in Saturday’s Hampton Handicap (L) on the Vaal sand. 7yo Be Assured had a gutsy win at 33-1 from the 6-1 Cape Winter and Furious Dancer.
Just 48 hours after Cheeky Wink’s smart win at Tipperary, the Kieswetter and Heffer families enjoyed another champagne moment at Sandown
Ridgemont’s Rafeef fairytale received more endorsement on the Championships Finale at Turffontein on Saturday when his daughter, Chasing Happiness, ran her eight opponents off their feet to register her second stakes success when winning the TAB Gr2 Senor Santa Stakes
The number of entries compares favourably in quantum with recent years, with 58 first entries received in 2024, 60 in 2023, 68 in 2022, 53 in 2021, 52 in 2020, 49 in 2019, and 69 in 2018
Ironically, it was a colt which provided Alan with a first Gr1 success, this being Alec and Gillian Foster’s homebred Cereus, who landed the 2001 Gold Cup at Hollywoodbets Greyville, his victory completing a momentous double on the day, with the Gr2 Golden Slipper having gone the way of juvenile filly Tatler, a great-great-great grandaughter of Sun Lass!
