Run Rhino Run’s startling display in the sixth race at Greyville on Sunday has had tongues wagging the world over after he opened up a steeple chase margin on the opposition in the 3000m handicap and kept rolling to win by an official 21-length margin.

“Sometimes you get lucky,” said trainer Kom Naidoo. “99 percent of the time by the time a runaway like that hits the straight it’s already dead.”

That doesn’t quite tell the whole story. Formally with Lezeanne Forbes, Run Rhino Run showed talent from the start of his career but was always a difficult customer.

“I got the horse from Lezeanne a couple of weeks ago. He’s always been difficult. He’s got rocks in his head and he’s been tried with pacifiers and all sort of other things to try and get him to settle. But he fights everything that you put on him and the harder you fight the harder he fights.”

“Eventually I thought, ‘you know what, take everything off him and use just a normal ring-bit and let him do what he wants’”.

Well he took apprentice Serino Moodley via the scenic route, heading for the outside fence after taking the first turn and from there on, it was Run Rhino Run in control.

“He’s such a difficult horse,” said Moodley post-race. “I knew he was going to be a difficult ride so I just let him do what he wanted to do.”

At one stage commentator Sheldon Peters called Run Rhino Run 300 m ahead and he still had 200m on his rivals turning for home.

The race was run 9 seconds slower than track record, equivalent to around 40 lengths or more, and with the balance of the field still 21 lengths adrift at the line their pace must be called into question.

Indeed, the stipendiary stewards have opened an inquiry. “We took evidence from all the riders, excepting Serino Moodley … what were their instructions and tactics,” said senior stipe Derek Anderson.

“We still have to sit down and analyse their responses. It’s an enquiry in progress,” he said.

In other news, Dennis Bosch is in Cape Town this week fine-tuning Billy Silver for the CTS Lanzerac Read-To-Run Stakes.

“He’s doing exceptionally well down here in Cape Town. I can’t be happier with him,” said Bosch. “He’s been with Geoff Woodruff and I have been up and down checking on him. I will be down again in the last week of his prep.”

The R2.5 million race over 1400m will be run on Saturday, November 18. “(Anthony) Delpech says 1400m is his game and he can’t speak highly enough of the horse,” concluded Bosch.

Billy Silver, unbeaten in two starts, does not feature in the current log as he does not have an official merit rating after just two starts.

By Andrew Harrison