Andrew Harrison
Keagan de Melo may not have cracked the big time in Hong Kong but back home his services will always be in demand. He got the ball rolling in the first at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday as the Candice Bass-trained Nebulous (read KZN-based assistant Terry Fripp) made short work of the opposition.
Given her high head carriage she was not the easiest of rides but once De Melo eased her out from behind the pack and wide into the straight, the result was never in doubt as she came home under the hands.
Wengi Masawi has graduated from Mike de Kock’s tutelage into a smart trainer in his own right and has taken the opportunity given to him by Hollywood Racing with both hands. Peggy Sue Shake has come on nicely in the quiet climbs of the Ashburton Training Centre and the filly made all the running under replacement rider apprentice Mxolisi Mbuto.
The fancied Harpa kept station with Peggy Sue Shake in the early exchanges but she was a spent force shortly after the subway and Calvin Habib did not persevere with the ride.
The mare Ms Goldfinger has been a treasure at stud for Pietermaritzburg-based lawyer Barry Reardon and she produced the goods once again as Ms Galore finally had a change of luck when a comfortable maiden winner in the first leg of the Pick 6.
Unlucky on more than one occasion, De Melo took no prisoners as he kicked for home early putting plenty of daylight between him and the chasing pack. A late maturing filly and her first run on the poly, we may see more of the daughter of Bezrin.
De Melo was three-up after having to work for his riding fee to get the grey Professor Lupin home ahead of apprentice Dezahn Louw and The Mask in a tight finish to the fourth. Louw is an apprentice with a bright future and full value for his 4kg claim that sort of levelled the playing fields with The Mask carrying 58.5 kg instead of 62.5kg opposed to Professor Lupin’s 56kg.
Louw went wide into the straight to take the lead with De Melo taking the shorter way home. The final 200m was a heads-up heads-down affair with Professor Lupin home narrowly for Alyson Wright.
It is the so-called off-season with trainers stepping out their seasoned campaigners and taking advantage before the big guns warm up for South Africa’s Champions Season that officially starts in May but fit and well, age is no hinderance as Joshua Hotsnake broke a lengthy drought when winning race five for Wendy Whitehead. Always travelling well, he kicked on nicely under Calvin Habib to hold off Fine Dining and Rafiki. Owner and breeder Geoff Perkins always has some interesting names for his horses, include The Queen Bee, and has had good success with partner Murray Collins.
It was third time lucky for Louw getting out of the second box as he rode a canny race aboard another equine veteran, the Bo Ngcobo-trained Eventidor. The seven-year-old has come good under Ngcobo’s care and posted his third win from his last four starts to make it ten from 51 outings.
Drawn widest of all, Louw settled Eventidor off a brisk early pace and then gave the gelding a clear run at the line on what multiple champion jockey Anton Marcus called ‘the golden highway’ up the wide outside of the field.
Unlucky was Dapper with Callan Murray patiently waiting for an opening and when it did open, Rachel Venniker on King’s Island slammed the door in his face.
Thoroughbred racing has a history that goes back centuries but there are a myriad of stories that happen every day that are worth recounting.
Anne Upton was the second woman in South Africa to be granted her trainer’s license back in the day when regulations were a lot more stringent but her all scarlet colours were carried by some exceptional home-breds including the smart filly Boutique so it was fitting that Magic Surprise with Boutique in his pedigree won well for Doug Campell in the seventh.
Starting favourite, Rachel Venniker was never in any hurry as the Willow Magic gelding jumped on terms and once let loose in the straight, the result was never in doubt.
Wendy Whitehead’s gelding Cappellino got up in the last stride to edge out another veteran Trafalgar Square in a tight finish to the last. The win was not put of turn and it was a double for Whitehead.
