ANDREW HARRISON

DONOVAN DILLON has had to weigh up his options regarding the current lock-down with jockeys restricted to a single province as from yesterday.

It will have been a tough decision given that the he will miss the ride on Golden Ducat in both the Gr1 Queen’s Plate on Saturday and the Gr1 Met. However, he pointed out that he has to make a living and staying in KZN he was more likely to keep food on the table.

Dillon got his afternoon off to a good start at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday as he steered Wendy Whitehead’s filly Reckless Love to a comfortable victory. It was a more than satisfying success as Whitehead revealed that the daughter of Marchfield had been close to death, suffering from a bad colic.

“The vets couldn’t do anything so we finally decided to leave her out in the paddock overnight and what would be would be. Next morning, she was looking for her food,” she said.

After a lengthy quiet spell and the covid virus putting some owners under pressure and deserting, Duncan Howells is now one of the biggest owners in his yard. However, those runners now sporting his colours are paying their way.

By Howells’s own admission, Straight Up has been a touch disappointing and stands accused of not being the bravest but that opinion may have to be reassessed after apprentice Thabiso Gumede punched him through the tightest of gaps before going on to win comfortably with second-placed Fever giving Raymond Danielson a difficult ride as he looked to shift in under pressure.

Howells has been giving the laid-back Gumede plenty of chances and the young apprentice is repaying the faith shown in him.

Wave Crest in the next was another runner sporting the Howells silks and managed a third-pace cheque under Gumede but proved no match for hot favourite It Must Be Love. It was something of an armchair ride for Antandiwe Mgudlwa as Gareth van Zyl’s filly powered home under the hands with Indigo Moon getting up late to touch off Wave Crest.

Arctic Princess is unbeaten in two starts since Ashburton-based Gary Rich took her over and has won well on both occasions. The addition of blinkers may have a lot to do with it but her manner of victory suggests that she will not stop with this win. A furlong out, almost the entire field was spread across the track and the race was there for the taking. However, Stuart Randolph, having navigated from a wide draw, got his mount going up the outside fence and Arctic Princess popped clear like a cork out of a champagne bottle.

Foxy Lady, drawn widest of all fought clear for second with the luckless Colour Of Light being edge out of third by outsider Satara.

It’s has been a long time between drinks for Rocket Fire, another sporting the Howells silks with Gumede aboard, and the gelding was given no time to think as he came wide into the straight with Gumede rousting him along. For once Rocket Fire lived up to his name as he put it all together. The mare Noemi came out of the pack for second with Justaguything staying on for the shallow end of the purse.

One rider who will be spending the next month in Cape Town is Keagan de Melo. As stable rider to Dean Kannemeyer he will have opportunity in the big races. Making the most of his absence is Raymond Danielson who has chosen KZN over Gauteng and he got his month off to a winning start. After a close-up second on Fever he was on the mark with the Kannemeyer-trained To The Max but it was a close call. Sean Veale, has forsaken Cape Town and boss Dennis Drier, to stayed home and help out Drier’s stable assistant Stuart Ferrie. But it was aboard Paul and Beth Gadsby’s runner Capriccio that he came up a nose short of To The Max in a desperate finish.

Global Ash won on debut in PE and had put in two solid performances in his local starts for Carl Hewiston. He put it all together yesterday and cruised to a comfortable win in the seventh.

Lasata looked to have the last wrapped up 50m from home as Randolph produced him with what looked to be a winning run but apprentice Jabu Jacobs got Miss Charlotte going strongly in the closing stages to run Lasata down in the dying strides.