Candice Bass-Robinson is the first to admit that she took her eye off the ball when she staked her place in racing history as the first woman to train the winner of the Vodacom Durban July.
“I was watching Nightingale (equal fourth) and Horizon (sixth) as Marinaresco looked to be out of it,” she admitted on the winners’ podium at Greyville on Saturday, “and I didn’t even know I had won the race.”
She might be Mike Bass’s daughter but she has still had a phenomenal first season – more than 80 winners including the Majorca and a CTS $500 000 – and now the greatest prize of all.
Marinaresco & Mrs Robinson (Nkosi Hlophe)
“She has been producing the goods time and time again. It just shows when it’s in your blood,” declared a full-of-admiration Bernard Fayd-Herbe while Mrs Robinson was quick to pay tribute to his younger brother – “Robert has been looking after the horses in Durban and he had all these three spot on.”
A repeat of the Champions Cup that Marinaresco won last year would seem the obvious target but apparently it is unlikely. “I don’t know that he needs to run in that again,” said his trainer. “We will see how he comes out of this.”
One of the principal reasons for her reservation is that Marsh Shirtliff and his fellow owners still have rich overseas prizes on their agenda. The gallant little Mauritzfontein-bred Silvano would now be in the States had Derek Brugman’s initiative met with more support earlier in the year and, if more recent arrangements had gone to plan, he would be arriving at the Kenilworth quarantine station by the time you read this.
Shirtliff explained: “They couldn’t get the vector process set up in time and now it’s too late. I would still like to send him overseas but it will be next year now.”
Marinaresco, a 17-1 chance, was only the second horse to win with top weight since El Picha in 2000. The other was Pocket Power in 2008, sporting the Shirtliff colours and also ridden by Tiger Wright’s grandson.
The early pace looked horribly slow but they then turned up the wick to such an extent that the time of 2 min 12.51 sec was the fastest since that famous Pocket Power- Dancer’s Daughter dead-heat. But the race was a rough as heavyweight title fight.
Saratoga Dancer, Ten Gun Salute, Safe Harbour all suffered interference – the latter pair three times – while Safe Harbour’s rider Nooresh Juglall and Aldo Domeyer (Krambambuli) were both given suspensions for not keeping straight. S’Manga Khumalo, who went so close on 4-1 favourite Al Sahem, was fined for using his whip with excessive frequency in the last, desperate 150m.
He was only beaten a head and Edict Of Nantes pretty much confirmed the Daily News form by taking third, a quarter of a length back. But a bitterly disappointed Brett Crawford reported: “They didn’t go that hard and he was a bit flat-footed, only getting into the race in the last 75m. I had expected a bit more than that. There is now the possibility of the Champions Cup. I will discuss it with Derek.”
By Michael Clower
