Orbit War - a Christmas surprise
Gr3 Cape Summer Stayer Hcp at Kenilworth last Saturday
Bookmakers were treated to a Festive season present when 50/1 outsider Orbit War came from well off the pace to spring a surprise in the Christmas Handicap over 1600m at Clairwood on Monday, writes MATTHEW LIPS.
The race had a wide open look about it, but few gave much thought to Orbit War, who had not finished closer than sixth from seven starts since last winning more than a year earlier.
Top weight Black Wing had been contesting some stronger races than this and went off as the 22/10 favourite in a field of eleven for Clairwood’s traditional Boxing Day headliner. Across The Ice and Code Rock were the 9/2 joint second favourites, with Magnanimous starting as an 11/2 chance in his search for a well deserved change of luck after finishing second in five of his last six appearances.
The pace was respectable from the start, with habitual frontrunner Bay Route quickly going to the head of affairs and showing the way from Black Wing and Danish Silver, with Las Ramblas next in line as Dun Carrer and Orbit War raced towards the rear. Las Ramblas made some ground around the turn to race into second turning for home, with Black Wing and Danish Silver next in line. Code Rock had not been far behind the leading trio turning for home and soon began to make his move as Black Wing also came forward to challenge. A strong tailwind in the straight did Bay Route no harm and the pacesetter still led coming past the 200m mark, where Black Wing was starting to weaken.
Code Rock worked his way past Bay Route inside the last 100m, but wide out on the track Orbit War was unleashing a strong late run, finishing much too strongly for Code Rock and skating past in the last few strides to win by half-a-length under Lucian Africa, who was partnering his first winner since he returned to Kwazulu-Natal after a sojourn of over a year in Cape Town. Bay Route finished 2.25 lengths behind Code Rock in third and probably is at his very best on the tighter Greyville course, but he was hardly disgraced. Across The Ice was running on to finish only a short head further adrift in fourth, but Black Wing weakened to finish just more than five lengths behind the winner in eighth place. Magnanimous never got into the race, while Las Ramblas faded from more than 200m out and finished seventh.
Those who believe that some horses peak at a certain time of year may have picked up on the fact that Orbit War has now won a race in December for the third season in succession, having won the KZN Chapter Challenge final over 1200m in December 2009 before winning the 1600m leg of that series at the equivalent meeting in 2010. Orbit War only finished seventh behind Platinum Moon in the 1600m race on that programme this year, but he got to within 3.60 lengths of the winner from a very wide draw and his merit rating had dropped another two pounds since.
The Argentine-bred five-year-old had the worst draw in the Christmas Handicap, and with the strong following wind in the straight it was a risky if bold move to drop him so far off the pace, but there was probably no other way to do it in the circumstances. A more than useful handicapper when he’s on song, Orbit War gunned down what was frankly not a star-studded field to land the first Stakes win of his career and there was no semblance of a fluke about it whatsoever.
Orbit War is owned and trained by Adam Kethro, who is ably assisted by former trainer Gary Rich, and this success was considerable reward for the very considerable investment which Kethro has made in his bloodstock interests over the past few years. Orbit War was bought privately by Adam Kethro not long before winning the 1200m KZN Chapter Final two years ago, having started his career in the care of Tony Rivalland. A gelded son of Bernstein out of the Quiet American mare Orangina, Orbit War has won four times from 23 starts overall and earned R426 150 in stakes.
