Discussing that evening’s Greyville card with the group of apprentices stranded between strings at Ashburton on Friday morning, Eric Ngwane admitted rather sheepishly that Marshall That had run away with him when down the field behind Roy’s Magic.
Eric Ngwane (Nkosi Hlophe)
“I took a bump and he just ran away with me. I couldn’t hold him,” he admitted candidly before adding, “He’s a nice horse, I think he will run a good race.”
Ngwane was on the mark but serving out a suspension, Alistair Gordon approached Warren Kennedy as replacement and he got the colt home in a driving finish to the PMB Community Chest 3-Year-Old Handicap ahead of favourite Palladium.
The field was reduced to six runners with Gordon opting to scratch My Pal Al who has a date in the Gr2 Dingaans next Saturday.
“First this race was washed out, then the next meeting was abandoned so I was not sure if he would get into the Dingaans field and opted to run here. But he did get in so I got permission to scratch,” Gordon explained.
The Mike and Norma Rattray-owned Marshall That was all over the course with Kennedy and obviously green. “We were disappointed in his last race but he took a bump early. I think he got a fright and he ran away with Eric. It was not his fault and he couldn’t ride tonight because he was suspended,” said Gordon.
Gordon concluded, “He is a nice horse and won’t stop here.”
Anton Marcus had a super book of rides and after winning the first three races things looked ominous for his weighing room colleagues after favourite Master Runner. However, as is so often the case in racing, the winners suddenly dried up and his evening was done.
Marshall That (Nkosi Hlophe)
Master Runner was pushed all the way to the line by young apprentice Ashton Arries aboard the Sean Tarry-trained Media Circus, but the boot was on the other foot come the Royal Security Handicap a race later.
Marcus was again on the favourite Air Chief Marshal but the gelding came up empty as Arries drove the Tarry-trained Lucky Luciano through a gap and kept him hard to his task to hold off Reactive and Magical Bet.
Late colleague Ron Phillips, once of Radio Port Natal fame, made a public on-course gaff when announcing that, “it appears the noseband has slipped;” the horse in the canter past sporting a sheepskin browband. A change of equipment can often work miracles and the woolly browband has done much to calm the temperamental and often difficult Zilla who came good in the Royal Alarms Security Handicap. “She’s got talent but is her own worst enemy,” explained Lowan Denysschen.
By Andrew Harrison
