Cape Royal in winning action
Dean Kannemeyer’s Cape Royal looks hard to beat at the weights in the final edition of the VAR-themed Sprint series of races, when ten runners line up in the R150 000 VAR Durban Dash run over over 1100m at Clairwood on Sunday.
The much vaunted 3yo son of Royal Academy had a rush of blood to the head when the gates were sprung in the Gr1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint at Scottsville last month. He landed up in the wrong direction. Talk about the alternative horror of the good each way bet!
The punting public are notoriously forgiving and that is now behind us.
The six time winner’s minor distraction will have been remedied by the astute Kannemeyer, and Lady Laidlaw’s smart colt is bound to come out thinking a lot clearer on Sunday.
He was a winner of the unique 600m dash over the same track at end March. He subsequently went on to win the Listed In Full Flight Handicap in impressive style.
While weighted to win this, the quality of the opposition is not to be snuffed at.
These include Mike De Kock’s Desert Sheik, the promising Avontuur bred Tevez and the unbeaten Mullins Bay filly Tinchy Stryder. The latter returns from an eight month break, but Tarry is a dab hand at getting them fresh enough to win.
Var’s good son De Var Hyt goes for his fifth win from just fifteen starts. He is very quick and highly talented and is held in some esteem by his shrewd trainer, Louis Goosen.
Avontuur’s Pippa Mickleburgh. A concept that worked
The event is also the culmination of the VAR syndicate’s three year sponsorship of the series, after an exciting period which saw the re-vitalisation of the Sprint category in South Africa under the banner of Avontuur’s speedster sire, who boasts champion offspring like Val de Ra, Variety Club and Via Africa amongst others.
Pippa Mickleburgh, Avontuur Estate’s popular General Manager said that she was pleased that the concept had worked for all involved
“Since the inception of the series with the financial commitment by the VAR syndicate to enhance the number of sprint races in this country, we have had many exciting achievements and new stars emerge from the series. Var himself has done so well for us and the syndicate, and are thrilled that our policy of putting our money where our mouth is, has proven itself over and over again! We can only hope that the two national racing operators will continue to support the category in future and keep this crowd thriller on the race cards, whilst increasing exposure for high quality sprinters,” she said.
