The R350 000 Listed Pocket Power Stakes produced another grandstand finish at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday, giving owners Greg Bortz and Gina Goldsmith a third winner on the afternoon.
The Bortz-Goldsmith partnership could so easily have had four winners, after Dawn Till Dusk looked a winner in the fourth, only to have the official photo show him to have been beaten by the favourite Air Raid. Read more about that here.
Louis Mxothwa drives Otto Luyken up the outside as Gavin Lerena and Garrix chase hard (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
The second feature of the day only attracted 7 runners, but was nevertheless run at a reasonable pace over the 1950m with the Snaith’s Call To Unite setting the pace.
Inside the final 200m, the always present Otto Luyken challenged the favourite Garrix and the pair produced a replay of the Legal Stakes run three weeks earlier – but this time with Otto Luyken enjoying a top ride by Sporting Post-rider Louis Mxothwa with a 1,5kgs turnaround at the weights.
The photo shows that the Brett and James Crawford-trained Otto Luyken (14-1) got the verdict by a head in a time of 120,02 secs.
The official photo-finish (Courtesy of NHA)
The game Garrix (13-10) looked a winner inside the 200m but appeared to hesitate late in the race. Jockey Gavin Lerena suggested afterwards that he is possibly a better miler.
Hollywoodbets Durban July entry Magic Verse (5-1) stayed on well for third, a further 1,75 lengths back. His stablemate and fellow big race entry Mucho Dinero finished 9,50 lengths off and he looks unlikely to be chasing a berth on 5 July.
In landing Sunday’s Listed feature, Otto Luyken, who had finished fourth in the 2024 Pocket Power Stakes, became his Gr1 Travers Stakes winning sire Flower Alley’s 39th stakes winner.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, Otto Luyken, who is a R180 000 BSA Cape Yearling Sale graduate, has won 4 of 26 runs with 12 places for R691 224.
Otto Luyken is out of the Ideal World mare Laurel Cherry.
Otto Luyken’s sire Flower Alley has had another good season in 2024-2025 with the son of Distorted Humor also responsible for this season’s Listed Betway Algoa Cup winner Firealley and Listed Allied Steelrode Golden Loom Handicap hero, Chyavana.
Famed as the sire of both Gr1 Kentucky Derby winning champion I’ll Have Another and South African Horse Of The Year Princess Calla, Flower Alley has sired more than 500 winners and his offspring have earned in excess of $48 000 000 in prize money.
