No sweat for Velvet Season

PUBLISHED: 02 December 2019

Born To Perform (Candiese Lenferna)

Warren Kennedy, Stuart Randolph, Andre Nel and Dennis Bosch all enjoyed multiple success at Hollywoodbets Greyville’s turf meeting yesterday.

Kennedy and Nel combined to win the first over 2000m with the perennial bridesmaid Velvet Season. When the favourite Crank It Up switched out at the top of the straight to challenge Velvet Season it seemed the writing was on the wall as the latter had finished second no fewer than seven times in ten starts but after a stirring duel it was the home-bred Trippi gelding who drew away to win by 0,40 lengths at odds of 23/10.

Born To Perform (Candiese Lenferna)
Born To Perform (Candiese Lenferna)

The second over 1600m saw the well backed Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Querari’s Cowboy running on well under Keagan de Melo to beat his stablemate Master Tobe as the Nel-trained favourite Academy Award faded out to finish unplaced.

The third over 1600m proved that the Tony Rivalland trained In Jest is improving in the typical style of a Silvano filly as she stormed home from way off the pace to win easing up under Stuart Randolph.

The fourth over 1000m saw 4kg claimer Thabiso Gumede just getting up on the Duncan Howells-trained Oratorio mare Love Theme from the favourite Coyote Girl who performed well considering she had been caught wide in the running.

The fifth over 1000m turned into a procession as 4kg claimer Jabu Jacobs brought home the Nel-trained Seventh Rock gelding Washington Square by 5,50 lengths. The gelding justified support from 5/1 into 32/10 favourite.

Kennedy has built up a fine relationship with Dennis Bosch’s Silvano gelding Born To Perform and despite not having raced for 112 days the son of VDJ winner Dancer’s Daughter ran on strongly from midfield to win the sixth race over 1400m by 1,75 lengths. It was his third win in a row and fifth career victory in just seven starts, so he might be seen in a feature soon.

Stuart Randolph got the Bosch-trained topweight What A Blast up by a quarter of length in the next over 1400m. It was the Visionaire gelding’s second win on the trot.

In the last over 1400m the fancied Paul Lafferty-trained King’s Chapel filly Bint El Malak kept going well to give Kennedy a treble. Rank outsider Wylie’s LASS finished a half-a-length second and there was a jolt for the PA as odds-on Jo’burg raider Orchid Express just missed third place.

By David Thiselton