Barrier Trial Greyville Poly – 1000m – 2 June 2018
1st Gordonstoun (Sakayi/Howells 3yog 59kgs draw 8) – This unraced 3yo son of AP Answer is a nicely made racy gelding who has been given time to mature. He bounced away well and led throughout, showing no signs of inexperience. Given that the opposition here was largely made up of juveniles, it is difficult to assess the merit of this performance but he certainly left the impression that he should be competitive. 60,68 seconds.
2nd 1,25 Donnan (Mohapi/N Kotzen 2yog 57kgs draw 6) – This was an eye-catching trial! Very smart looking gelding by Kildonan who really caught the eye in the parade ring. He was slow out the gates and raced towards the rear of the field throughout. Once given some rein in the straight he made rapid headway between runners and he appears to have scope for further improvement. Certainly worth noting. 60,91 seconds.
3rd 1,30 Targaryen Queen (Yeni/Howells 2yof 56kgs draw 7) – Well grown but slightly immature daughter of freshman sire Jackson. Showed good natural speed from the jump and stayed on well at the finish without being overly extended. Gives the impression that this Trial will bring her on in a big way. Watch the betting on debut! 60,92 seconds.
4th 3,30 Command Respect (De Gouveia/Humby 3yog 59kgs draw 10) – Returning from a break of 244 days following a moderate 1200m debut back in October 2017, this son of Marchfield looked well in the parade and is a pretty good mover. He showed steady pace through this Trial without ever being asked to extend himself and his connections appeared delighted with the effort. 61,30 seconds.
5th 3,80 Youonlyliveonce (Kennedy/Van Zyl Jnr 2yoc 57kgs draw 4) – Trialled poorly back in February but is clearly progressing the right way. R200 000 son of Gimmethegreenlight, he also caught the eye in the parade ring as a smart individual but, being out of a Rakeen mare, he may need further to be most effective. I liked what I saw and will monitor his progress with interest. 61,39 seconds.
6th 4,80 Auld Reekie (Mgudlwa/Puller 2yog 57kgs draw 5) – Moved well enough to the start and did not trial too badly here. Was always tucked away midfield and he stayed on at one pace under an easy ride. By the promising sire Crusade, he is out of an American-bred mare by Diesis and he could have plenty of scope for improvement. 61,58 seconds.
7th 5,30 Ticket Holder (Wrogeman/Bosch 2yog 57kgs draw 11) – Looks more of a staying type than a sprinter and I am sure that his connections would not be too disappointed with his effort here. Although never troubling the front-runners, he ran on quite strongly all the way to the line and is another which could have scope for improvement. 61,68 seconds.
8th 5,55 Small Town Dude (Lembethe/Miller 2yog 57kgs draw 3) – Rather plain gelded son of AP Arrow. Bred for further but he showed nice pace from an inside stall before becoming one-paced in the straight. Could take a while longer to fully come to hand. 61,72 seconds.
9th 7,80 Belazada (Ferraris/Campbell 2y0f 56kgs draw 9) – Raced unshod behind and was caught very wide on the turn. Still very green and did not give too much away here. Will probably need a run or two before showing her worth. 62,16 seconds.
10th 8,80 Countess Jud (Arries/Miller 2yof 56kgs draw 1) – This daughter of Judpot put up a terrible Trial back in December and her racecourse debut that same month was also a poor 12th of 13 runners. She showed improved pace here before fading out but is either not too good or needs more time to mature. 62,35 seconds.
11th 10,05 Jamaica Bay (Ngwane/Campbell 2yof 56kgs draw 2) – Well-bred daughter of Crusade. Showed signs of being a little nervy in the parade ring and was clearly overawed by the whole experience. She fluffed the start completely and was very green at the back of the field. I have a feeling she could be a lot better than this effort which is probably best ignored, but only time will tell. Hopefully, with the experience gained here, she will Trial again before making her official debut. 62,60 seconds.
By Graeme Hawkins
