David Thiselton
The Paul Matchett-trained three-year-old Act Of War gelding Battle Force became the first bottom weight for 15 years to win the Grade 1 Golden Horse Sprint on Sunday at Hollywoodbets Scottsville when just getting up under Craig Zackey to beat Eden Roc by 0,25 lengths and he is only the second horse in the merit rating era to win this handicap while racing under sufferance.
The last bottom weight to win was also trained by Matchett, the Zimbabwean-bred three-year-old Muhtafal colt Let’s Rock’n Roll, who carried 50kg to victory at odds of 50/1 under Randall Simons in 2006, winning by a cosy 1,25 lengths.
However, Let’s Rock ‘N Roll had snuck into the handicap whereas Battle Force was officially 2.5kg under sufferance carrying 52kg off his 106 merit rating.
To put that in layman’s terms, if it had been a true long handicap Battle Force would have carried only 49.5kg, so was carrying 2.5kg more than he should have been.
There is a minimum weight rule in most parts of the world and in South Africa it was changed in recent times from 50kg to 52kg.
The only previous horse in the merit rating era to have won the Golden Horse Sprint while under sufferance was the Charles Laird-trained Hinterland, who was 3kg under sufferance when carrying 50kg to victory as a three-year-old in 2002. He started at odds of 8/1 and won by the same 0,25 length margin that Battle Force did.
Battle Force is highly progressive and on Sunday proved himself ahead of the handicappers again.
He has now won his last six sprint starts, his only recent defeat being over 1400m.
He has duly been raised to a 113 merit rating.
Battle Force was initially fancied in the betting at around 8/1 but drifted all the way out to 16/1.
Pulling a shoe probably aided the betting drift.
The start was delayed for a long time by the re-shoeing process and it was eventually announced he would race unshod behind.
Owner Roy Wentzel said afterwards, “Paul, to his credit, knows the horse well and suggested he run without the shoes.”
Nevertheless, his supporters’ confidence must have dropped to a new level of pessimism.
However, Matchett was correct and the rangy bay strode out well throughout from his Standside 16 draw and ran all the way to the line.
It was Matchett’s third Grade 1 win at Hollywoodbets Scottsville in all as he also won the Allan Robertson Championship with Brave Mary in 2017.
Zackey has to be given a lot of credit for Sunday’s win as he had to shed 5kg in a week to make the weight.
It has been a halcyon week for all of Matchett, owners Roy Wentzel and Rose Waterman-Wentzel and sire Act Of War.
Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara heroine War Of Athena had won the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 for Matchett and the Wentzels just eight days earlier.
Fittingly, Battle Force carries Roy’s colours (yellow, green maltese cross, white sleeves, gold and green quartered cap), because War Of Athena carries Rose’s colours (Pale pink, black stars and collar, white sleeves, black stars, black cap, white star).
Summerhill Stud-based sire Act Of War now has two Grade 1 winners in his first crop. He has a good 41.3% winners to runners ratio and his AEPR (average earnings per runner) of R76,997 is the highest of the top 50 sires on the SA national log.
Battle Force was another horse who “spoke to” Rose Waterman-Wentzel at the Sales. She and Roy duly purchased him for R130,000 at the KZN Yearling Sale.
Both War Of Athena and Battle Force were bred by Summerhill Stud.
