David Thiselton
THE Peter Muscutt-trained Indi Anna, paying R30.70 a Tote win and R7.00 a place, romped to a comfortable win in Saturday’s Grade 3 Flamboyant Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville under Raymond Danielson.
There was also an upset in the Listed Christmas Handicap over the same 1600m course and distance as Keagan de Melo extracted a strong finish from the Dean Kannemeyer-trained bottom weight Mount Anderson, who paid R11.00 a win.
The latter win was possible to find as Mount Anderson had snuck into the handicap with the minimum weight of 52kg, although he did have half-a-kilogram overweight to contend with, and he had run a close second off his current mark the last time he ran in good ground at Hollywoodbets, although that was over 1400m.
However, Indi Anna would not have been given much chance by mathematicians as she had finished fourth, fifth and fifth in her last three handicap starts over distances from 1400m to 1600m and she was now 9kg under sufferance with the best weighted runner in this conditions event. However, a closer scrutiny of the form showed that she had won four races in the top centre of Cape Town to reach her current merit rating and her first run in KZN followed national lockdown and she was then given another five month layoff before two more runs, so this was going to be her peak run. Furthermore, Cape Town-based horses of this calibre usually arrive in other centres with suppressed merit ratings due to the class of horse down there and it was proved again in this race.
Indi Anna broke well from draw eight but found herself without cover behind the leader Electric Surge and was threatening to over race. However, Petra was taken around runners to join the leader and thus provided Indi Anna with cover.
Anybody who happened to tune in as they left the narrow false rail could easily have mistaken Indi Anna for an odds on favourite as she is a big and impressive specimen with a big stride and she quickened well. The Master Of MY Fate filly had the race in safekeeping halfway down the straight as she was clearly not stopping.
The Grade 2-winning three-year-old Love Bomb started Tote favourite and had the run of the race in the box seat behind the leader. However, she could not match Indi Anna’s finishing speed.
Instead, it was another outsider, Mary O, who was 6kg under sufferance with the best weighted runner, who ran on from off the pace to finish a clear second, 1,50 lengths behind the winner and 2,1 lengths ahead of Love Bomb, who just held on for third from the best weighted runner Gallic Princess.
Mary O finished second in last season’s Grade 2 WSB Fillies Guineas over this course and distance so yesterday’s performance was no fluke.
Gallic Princess is a top class sprinter so was a bit stretched by the trip, but stayed on steadily.
The fancied Silent Crusade sat behind Love Bomb in the running and stayed on for fifth.
The only other horse in single figure odds was Magic School who is a big galloping type who was going to be dangerous if managing to get to the front or in to a handy position. However, when she missed the break and ended up last in the running the writing was on the wall. She could only stay on forlornly for seventh.
In a similar scenario to the Flamboyant Stakes, Mount Anderson broke well and found himself one out and one back without cover. However, on this occasion jockey Ant Mgudlwa was not keen to keep his mount Farland in the box seat after the pacemaker Priceless Ruler had begun applying the brakes, so he moved alongside and this provided perfect cover for Mount Anderson.
The favourite Baby Shooz now had the box seat and, carrying just 53.5kg, had the opportunity to prove that his entry in The Met is not a pipe dream.
Priceless Ruler had soon cried enough and Baby Shooz moved up well to take the lead. However, he needs further and Mr Fitz, who had sat behind him, was clearly finishing stronger. However, Mount Anderson, who is well bred being by Vercingetorix out of the Grade 1 Golden Slipper (1400m) and Grade 2 Gold Bracelet (2000m) winner Gilded Minaret, then found a burst and in the end won cosily by half-a-length from Mr Fitz, who pipped Baby Shoes by a short-head for second. Sniper Shot finished next best ahead of Shareholder.
Danielson rode a double on the day as the Gavin Van Zyl-trained Blackball was at his impressive best when carrying joint topweight of 61.5kg to a 3,50 length win in a Pinnacle Stakes event over 2200m.
Serino Moodley scored a double on the Lezeanne Forbes-trained Underthemistletoe and the Michael Roberts-trained Alado’s Pride.
Wendy Whitehead scored a double with Teichman, ridden by 2.5kg claimer Jabu Jacobs, and Macara, who converted favouritism in the last race under Donovan Dillon.
The meeting had also begun well for punters as the Tony Rivalland-trained Guitar King converted favouritism in the first under Lyle Hewitson.
