In a desperately close finish to the Gr 1 Durban Golden Horseshoe, favourite Seventh Plain got up in the shadow of the post to deny outsider Brazuca and pacemaker Arabian Beat and give Dennis Drier his second Gr 1 victory of the afternoon.
Seventh Plain (Nkosi Hlophe)
Earlier in Champions Season, Drier had saddled Seventh Plain to a comfortable victory in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion at Scottsville and on the strength of that run was sent out at relatively cramped odds in what looked to be a very competitive field.
And it was a close run thing. “There were some very ordinary thoughts going through my mind,” said winning jockey Anton Marcus. “I saw the other horses loom up and I thought I might run in the first three. But he dug down deep. This is a testament to this horse’s courage. He had the opportunity but he didn’t spit the dummy when he could have.”
Seventh Plain is a son of former Medallion winner Seventh Rock and like Seventh Rock, raced in the same silks. “This is an example of what racing is all about. This is the ultimate dream,” commented winning owner Marcus Jooste who is a major shareholder of Klawervlei Stud and who also bred Seventh Plain out of a National Emblem mare who Jooste owned in partnership.
Chestnuts ‘n Pearls (Nkosi Hlophe)
Chestnuts ‘N Pearls gave Drier his first Gr1 winner on the day and the legendary Horse Chestnut his first Gr 1 victory in South Africa when she ran out a fluent winner of the Gr1 Zulu Kingdom Explorer Golden Slipper.
The temperamental Princess Royal, who had been backed in to favourite, led at the top of the straight and looked on course to land the odds but she emptied out over the final furlong as Chestnuts ‘N Pearls reeled her in. The blinkered Almashooqa chased gallantly but never looked like getting to the winner while Sapsan got going late under Piere Strydom to edge out Lauderdale who had been rushed from her outside gate and did well to hold onto fourth.
“She’s got electric speed out of the gate which makes your job quite easy,” said Cormack. “I fortunately found cover and she switched off completely. She is going to go further and she galloped all the way to the line.”
Chestnuts ’N Pearls is owned by Mark Currie, Mayesh Chetty and Jaap van de Vendel.
By Andrew Harrison
