The Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint at Scottsville on June 4 – and a possible rematch with Carry On Alice – is next on the target list for Cuvee Brut who convincingly justified Brett Crawford’s stamina convictions in the Vasco Prix Du Cap at Kenilworth on Saturday.
The 18-10 favourite came within the thickness of a racecard of beating the Sean Tarry star in the Southern Cross (admittedly receiving 2kg) and here she had no difficulty in holding the strong-finishing 33-1 shot Flying Ice. But seemingly it wasn’t as straightforward as it looked.
Anton Marcus reported: “She never wanted to corner all that well and up the straight she hung out quite badly.”
However Crawford added: “She has had an outstanding season and, after having a little break on the farm, we will take her to Durban [for Champions Season]. We will campaign her first in the Gr1 SA Fillies Sprint (now City of Pietermaritzburg) and then we will see whether to go for the Gr1 Garden Province.
“We will do the same sort of thing with Alexis who missed the kick and got a bit further back than I wanted but finished her race well to take fourth.”
Crawford did even better in the Calulo Cape Mile when Big Cat led a furlong out under JP van der Merwe to spring a 25-1 surprise, beating stable companion Sail South by a length. The former Stan Elley-trained gelding spent six months with Dennis Drier before joining Crawford who said: “I am still learning about this horse so I’m not yet sure about Durban. But Sail South was a touch unlucky – he got carried out by the horse in front (Hard Day’s Night).”
Bernard Fayd’Herbe told the stipes that there was something wrong with 4-1 second favourite Heartland who finished last and the vet reported the colt not striding out in front as well as making an abnormal respiratory noise. But a similar check on 33-10 market leader Night Trip (ninth) revealed nothing.
King Of Pain opened up some intriguing distance options when given a chance to show long-suspected stamina by making all in the CTS Chairman’s Cup at 8-1.
Fayd’Herbe plotted his moves, and the expected counter ploys of the opposition, like a grand master at the World Chess Championship – “It was always my game plan to lead. The last thing I wanted was Anton Marcus (on 11-20 hotpot Coltrane) dictating it in front.
“When you swing round the corner here nobody wants to commit until after the junction. If they wanted to go round me then I knew they were probably going to kill themselves.
“I was going a decent pace. Not too fast but not slow enough to give Anton a chance of coming round me.
“When King Of Pain puts it together he is a hard horse to beat. The only problem he’s got is that in a race he thinks even more than I do!”
This was Joey Ramsden’s eighth Chairman’s Cup this century and he introduced a smart-looking newcomer in the Mauritzfontein colours in the Nima Consulting Maiden. Miranda Frost was backed from 20-1 to 11-2 and led from pen to post under Donovan Dillon.
Assistant trainer Ricardo Sobotker said: “She is very stocky and powerful, she showed natural speed from day one and she has a bright future.”
But perhaps the most significant winner for punters was Line Break. He might have only just got home in the Kepu Pinnacle Stakes – indeed Grant van Niekerk feared he was beaten – but apparently he is considerably better than his present 97 merit rating.
He lost valuable ground at the start in last month’s Betting World Cape Flying Championship and from then on his rider had to repeatedly switch this way and that looking for an opening. He covered more ground than Jan van Riebeeck and, while he finished halfway down the field, he was only beaten two and a quarter lengths.
Candice Robinson said: “He was unlucky not to win that day. He is exceptionally talented and has all the ability in the world but we have to get it out of him. He is not the easiest of horses to train, or the soundest, and he has lots of problems.
“I am not 100% sure he will go to Durban – it might not be the right place for him – but, that said, there might not be that much for him here.”
> The course’s fourth prawn festival was an even bigger success that the previous ones and attracted the best crowd outside Met day. Phumelela estimated it at 7 000 and they consumed 2.5 tonnes of prawns. That works out at over 350 grams each!
The organisers reckon to sell three tonnes at this Saturday’s Turffontein version and, in case anyone thinks racing is single-handedly emptying the ocean, the prawns come from a special farm in India.
Michael Clower
Picture: Cuvee Brut (Liesl King)
