A springboard for top horses over the decades, the R500 000 Gr3 Langerman throws up its share of drama and Saturday’s renewal stayed true to form with an objection by the rider of the 50-1 runner-up giving the Snaith team some nervous post-race moments.
Won last year by the current Hollywoodbets Durban July newsmaker Eight On Eighteen in a race scarred by the shock withdrawal by of the 5-10 favourite One Stripe due to elevated TCO2 levels, Saturday’s Langerman result went to the Stipes boardroom.
Muzi Yeni drives the grey Absolutely Yes to victory as Pay The Palace (Corne Orffer) threatens down the inside (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Seven quality two year olds went to post after news that the unbeaten and well-supported Happy Verse fell on being saddled. That would not have inspired confidence in the handsome son of Vercingetorix’s supporters. He was passed fit by the Vet but failed to produce anything. His modest effort could also be attributed to the going and we hope that he bounces back.
In the race itself, Muzi Yeni rode the least fancied of the Snaith quartet in recent Listed Somerset 1200 winner Absolutely Yes, who made every inch of the running on the testing ground.
Going into the final 250m, Absolutely Yes bumped the Piet Steyn-trained 50-1 shot Pay The Palace (Corne Orffer) on his inside.
Yeni kept riding with his crop in his right hand and held a 0,40 length advantage to the line, with the handsome grey clocking 93,56 secs for the 1500m.
An eye for a grey! Part owner Gina Goldsmith selected the winner at the sales (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Corne Orffer immediately lodged an objection on the grounds of interference on behalf of the runner-up. This was overruled, which one feels was the right call, despite the bump, an incident which may still see Yeni on the red carpet.
Exported star One Stripe’s Erik The Red half-brother Vapour Trail (25-1) overshadowed his more fancied stablemate Dreamworld, who ran out of the money, with a cracking effort for third, a half length behind Pay The Palace.
Randolph Hearst (4-1) capped the quartet, a further 0,20 lengths back in fourth.
Clearly the underfoot conditions didn’t favour some, but the fairytale factor was underscored by the Steyn’s runner-up Pay The Palace, who cost only R70 000 at the Cape Yearling Sale – a black Friday special in terms of some of the big-ticket flashy models around him.
An R800 000 National Yearling Sale graduate, Absolutely Yes, who races in the 2024 Hollywoodbets Durban July winning partnership of Greg Bortz, Gina Goldsmith and Leon Ellman, took his career statistics to date to 3 wins with a place from 5 starts and stakes of R606 376.
Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, the winner is a son of the Deep Impact stallion Danon Platina, Japan’s Champion 2YO Colt of 2014.
The winner is out of the five-time winning Tiger Ridge mare, Maybe Yes, a winner of the 2014 Gr2 KZN Fillies Guineas and also Gr1 placed in the Garden Province Stakes.
