Act Of War set out from Cape Town to Durban yesterday with Joey Ramsden confirming that the plan remains a crack at the Rising Sun Gold Challenge on June 6 – subject to a decent draw and despite a surprise entry in the Winter Classic six days earlier.
Ramsden, who has won the last three runnings of the Gold Challenge, said: “He is not running in the Winter Classic but in this country you have to splatter your entries because you don’t know where you can travel and where you can’t.”
His decision to despatch the Cape Guineas winner to Summerveld will come as a relief to the connections of Sail For Gold and Royal Dreamer, second and third in the Winter Guineas. Their trainer Mike Bass has six entered for the Classic including Sheer Trouble on whom Grant van Niekerk initiated a 37.5-1 stable double at Kenilworth on Saturday.
However Candice Robinson said: “I am not sure whether we will run him because a mile is probably his maximum trip at this stage.”
Stan Elley is optimistic that both Friday evening’s Betting World 1900 winner Dynastic Power and third-placed Punta Arenas will get a run in the Vodacom Durban July, a race in which he was third with Red Badge in 2003 and again 12 months later.
He said: “I would be very surprised if they didn’t put in a 1900 winner while Punta Arenas has already done enough to get in.”
Elley thinks a lot of Eighth Wonder who made all to win the opener at Kenilworth on Saturday despite veering sharply right 100m from home, giving rise to an unsuccessful objection from the trainer of third-placed Forward Drive. It happened so quickly that Aldo Domeyer, who hadn’t even picked up his whip, was powerless to stop the interference.
Elley said: “Eighth Wonder is still hopelessly green but he can only improve and his future is pretty bright.”
Andrew Fortune, 48 yesterday, was taken to hospital by ambulance after suffering a fall from Sabrina Affair when pulling up after the Maiden Juvenile Fillies won by Richard Fourie on the Snaith-trained favourite Victoria Lavelle.
Fortune, speaking when strapped to the medical room bed, said: “A horse kicked me after I fell and I am sore. I think it’s just the muscle but they want to send me for x-rays.”
He promptly missed a comfortable winner with Gareth Wright deputising on Candaleeyah for Shane Humby in the Rugby 5 Maiden.
Devin Ashby, who enjoyed an effortless success on the Dolf Maeder-trained Mayoral Decree in the Kenilworth Maiden, has been offered another job in New Caledonia. He had a successful seven-month stint in the French territory (1 200k east of Australia) last year.
He said: “This job is with a top stable and is for next year but I will see how things go here. If they go well I will stay in South Africa.”
Greg Cheyne, the 1900 victor, reached the 133 mark when scoring on Aliysa’s Prize for Glen Kotzen and finished the day just ten behind championship leader Gavin Lerena.
BLOB Jockeys wore black armbands and flags were flown at half-mast following the deaths of Billy Steele and Christopher Foulkes. The latter was a son of Normandy Stud owner Veronica Foulkes while Steele, 76, was a long-standing owner who played a considerable behind-the-scene’s role. “He was a wonderful guy and a credit to racing,” said Rodney Dunn who succeeded him as chairman of the Western Province Owners and Trainers Association.
By Michael Clower
Picture: Act Of War (Liesl King)
