The four-year-old Dynasty colt Legislate held on tenaciously to win the R1-million, Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge at Greyville Racecourse on Saturday but there is still doubt whether last year’s Vodacom Durban July winner will line up to defend his crown in Africa’s Greatest Horseracing Event in a few weeks’ time.
For the Justin Snaith stable it was a plan that came together but not, one might think, without some tense moments when the Sean Tarry-trained Australian colt, Willow Magic, challenged strongly in the final dash to the line after tracking the champion for most of the race. There might even have been a few anxious seconds when stable mate and race favourite Futura unleashed his run down the outside of the field and was gaining with every stride.
Snaith had stated publicly before the race that the Rising Sun Gold Challenge was Legislate’s “mission” for Champions Season and warned after the event that his charge must still be considered a doubtful starter for the R3.5-million Vodacom Durban July which he won on an objection last year. He stated in his pre-race interview that the top horses had to be carefully managed because they were extremely valuable for stud and later said the decision to run Legislate in the July would be discussed early this week and a decision made and publicised possibly by midweek.
Jockey Richard Fourie deserved the credit for Legislate’s win, getting him out like lightning from the widest draw and sending him to the front to dictate the pace ahead of No Worries and Willow Magic with Futura rather sedately getting under way and settling in at the back of the field. In spite of the going being very much on top, the pace was not anything to write home about as the winning time of 96.11 secs was only .20 secs better than the average and well below the 92.99 secs course record. It was also considerably below the time of 94.14 secs the colt set when winning the KRA Guineas last year.
So Fourie confidently set the pace he wanted possibly bearing in mind that his mount was a little short of fitness which seemed to show in the final 200m of the race where only the colt’s guts kept him ahead of Willow Magic to win by three-quarters of a length.
Willow Magic under Piere Strydom ran a fantastic race being some 7kg on straight handicap out at the weights with the champion, and the Alec Laird-trained Bezrin gelding Bezanova produced one of his best efforts to take third place less than a length behind Legislate.
Then there was the run by Futura. Travelling at the back of the field some 10 lengths off the pace, Sean Cormack took him to the outside rail for his run when they hit the home straight giving Legislate eight or 10 lengths start. He produced the powerful finish he is known for and at the line was a mere 1.15 lengths behind his stable mate.
The only remaining question from this race is how the handicappers will deal with Willow Magic and Bezanova? Neither is a July candidate.
The training accolades for the meeting could go to Stan Elley who has declared that he would not renew his licence at the end of the season. His six-year-old Silvano gelding Punta Arenas, that ran a top race for third place behind stable companion Dynastic Power in the Betting World 1900, powered home with a strong finish to win the Grade 3 Cup Trial over 1 800m and in so doing leaving the July selection panel no choice but to confirm him as a runner in the big one on the fourth of July.
He did it from a wide draw and from near the back of the field to beat the Mogok gelding Wild One across the line by 1.25 lengths. The Mike de Kock-trained five-year-old was having his first race since running second to Wavin’ Flag in the Grade 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup at the end of July last year.
He is not a Vodacom Durban July entry but both Dynamic and Helderberg Blue, that took third and fourth places, are. They were settled just outside the top 20 on the July Log and might have done enough to make the big race field.
The Grade 2 Tibouchina Stakes was won for the second year in success by the Mike Bass-trained Trippi mare Hammie’s Hooker. She is a top mare but could find a formidable opponent in the Jonssons Workwear Garden Province at Greyville on Vodacom Durban July in the Duncan Howells-trained Mambo In Seattle filly Same Jurisdiction.
The three-year-old was ridden from the back of the field by Anton Marcus who swept her to the outside rail for her home run and she produced a superb finishing run to fail by half a length. Maybe Yes from the Brett Crawford stable made the running and stayed on for third place ahead of Red Flame from the Neil Bruss stable that had earlier won the Listed Devon Air Stakes with the filly Flying Ice.
One of the most impressive performances on the day was that of the Brave Tin Soldier colt Rabada in the Gatecrasher Stakes which he won by 3.25 lengths. The two-year-old had won his first race in fine style for trainer Mike Azzie and in spite of looking quite green on Saturday, put the race to bed a long way from the finish.
