Andrew Harrison
THERE is a story behind every winner and every race and it all got off to an interesting start at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday.
Supporters of the odds-on favourite Greenhill had their hearts in their mouths from the jump as Paul Peter’s filly did a two-step to the left out of the gate but won well enough to land the odds.
But as Peter alluded to post-race, if a horse is just a little bit better than the opposition, they can overcome slight mishaps of that nature.
Lyle Hewitson was well aware of his mounts antics at the start after being warned by Warren Kennedy, but even he was caught off guard by just how quickly it all happened. But Hewitson always had the race in hand and although Greenhill was still green, she won well enough in his experienced hands.
Gary Rich has a small string of horses at his Ashburton yard but he does get the best out of them and has his fair share of winners with the quality of horse that he has to work with.
It was back to the drawing boards with Princess Phee who caused a boil-over in the second. Given her staying pedigree, Rich was of the opinion that she would follow type.
Not so. “I didn’t realise that she had so much speed,” he admitted post-race. “She has been frustrating so I put on the blinkers and it worked out.”
The start was a disaster for supporters of Varvacious who fly-jumped out of the gate, dislodging Calvin Habib. She is obviously a bit of a handful fitted with a compression mask and earmuffs.
Favourite Sabrina Fairchild was beaten early in the straight and it was left to Indigo Moon to chase a tiring but game Princess Phee home, the line coming just too soon for Peter Muscutt’s runner.
Muscutt had better fortune in the next as the money was piled onto Soller and the money banked two furlongs out. Hewitson had the favourite out and rolling from the jump with Global Appeal matching strides in the early exchanges. But there were tell-tale signs early as Ant Mgudlwa’s elbows started pumping on Global Appeal before the turn. Soller strolled clear in the straight and although Diamonds And Toads made a belated challenge the race was all over as a contest.
Mary Liley has been a staunch supporter of racing and her colours of vieux rose and cream sleeves have been carried by some tremendous gallopers over the past four decades. Her mare In Jest is not going to emulate the feats of Bold Monarch, possibly her best horse she raced in partnership with her late husband John, but Tony Rivalland’s mare built on her last win to score with a flying finish in the fourth.
Matadora’s Parade and Aalsmeer looked dead and buried at the top of the straight as they came under pressure, but the pair gallantly fought off all challenges until Stuart Randolph produced In Jest, racing in cheek pieces for the first time, with a telling late run to win going away.
Rivalland intimated that this was a prep run for a race that he had earmarked in a fortnight’s time so she is one for a punter’s notebook.
Veteran trainer Tony Nassif is one of the characters of the sport and is a regular raider from the Highveld. He often comes with horses that have no obvious form, but you leave them out of calculations at your peril.
Suntrax arrived with nothing to suggest that she had a chance in the fifth but she took to the synthetic track under leading apprentice Kyle Strydom and produced a telling late run. Favourite Rock Flight was caught three wide all the way but although moving up to win, had no answers when challenged.
Candice Dawson has been around the block from the Vaal, Randjesfontein, Mauritius and back but she does know her way around a racehorse.
Psycho King rallied under replacement rider Keagan de Melo and Luke Ferraris produced Saviour with a smashing late effort to snaffle the opposition in the seventh.
If you had called a winner 100 m out in the last you would not have even considered the Duncan Howells filly Beat It. She was not in the picture but finished with a tremendous turn of foot under replacement rider Stuart Randolph to round of a patchy meeting for punters with some bombs landing and the odds-on chances arriving.
